Deidara and the Red Beast
by Locked Myself Up in a Room
Summary: Crossover AU of Beauty and the Beast/Rumbelle story from OUAT. Basically Beauty and the Beast but with my own twist for Sasori and Deidara. It will have multiple chapters, but I'm starting it now for SasoDei month! Please enjoy! SasoDei, DeiSaso pairing
1. Prologue

A young boy of seven, with hair like the autumn leaves and a happy, content smile, sits patiently on a bench, waiting for his parents return. He has a tiny wooden doll to keep him company, a puppet that he and his father created together. Out of boredom, the boy brings the puppet to the ground and begins making it walk around, using his own instincts – at least, that's what his parents describe the flow of power from him, _instincts._ They don't know what else to call it.

He simply raises his hand up and moves his fingers around, as if there's an invisible string attached from his hand to his doll. The dolls swirls and dances in the dirt gracefully, entertaining the young boy.

"Oh my," his movements have caught the attention of a passerby, an elderly woman with an overly intense curious glance at his puppet show. "What's your trick?"

The young boy shrugs his shoulders, giving her the most honest reply he can. He doesn't know how he's able to do it, only that he can. He's been gifted with something special.

"You don't know?" the curious woman asks, in disbelief.

"I'm just able to make things move the way I want them to sometimes," the boy replies, looking up at her with a dreamy, glazed stare. His mind is spaced off in the distance, thinking about fairy tales that his mother told him.

The boy snaps his head up when he hears his parents' footsteps approaching. "Mom! Dad!" his face lights up and he rushes to greet them, leaving his puppet to fall to the ground, lifeless.

"Sorry that took some time," his mother apologizes, "looks like our wish for extra time wasn't granted, which means your father and I will have to work extra hard to raise the crops in time."

"Oh, sorry to interrupt," the old woman creeps up over by the happy family, "did you say you are struggling to make ends meet? Your crops aren't doing well?"

"Yes, with this drought, it's no reason our crops our failing…but my boss still wants the same yield, or else he won't pay us," the father replies.

"What a shame," the old woman shakes her head, but there's a mischievous grin etched upon her face. "I think your son could offer a solution to your worries."

"Our son?" the mother clutches the small redhead boy protectively, wary of this stranger. "what do you mean?"

"I saw him playing with that puppet doll, making it stand on its own and dance…that kind of power shouldn't be sitting here to waste in this poor town. I can teach your boy to become a powerful sorcerer. In return, I'll give you more coin than you could ever count. You two can start a new life in a place far from here, somewhere better."

"No thanks," the parents say in unison.

"Our son is not for sale, no price can ever change that. How dare you offer such a heartless deal," the mother has venom in her voice.

"Ah, I see. Very well then," the old woman sighs, but there's still a glowing green of greed in her eyes.

The small boy, named Sasori, stares up at his parents with fear. He wants to tell him that he longs to leave, to escape this scary old woman. But before he can say anything, his eyelids droop heavily, and his body falls into a deep, paralytic sleep.

/

Several years later, a 17 year old Sasori storms in on Chiyo, his magic teacher. She stands at the edge of their garden atop the mountain. The two of them have lived together up in Chiyo's castle for ten years, as Chiyo fosters his magical skills and teaches him various lessons about life.

Sasori learned a long time ago to put up with the sorceress, that way he could hone his skill and ascertain all he could from her about how to use his power. But now – right now Sasori can't do it anymore. He found something unforgiveable in one of her spell books.

"Chiyo!" Sasori rages, teeth bared menacingly. "What is the meaning of this?!" He thrusts out the open spell book in her face.

Chiyo glances at the page, and her eyes widen. There's a particular spell that she circled – the memory eraser incantation. Before Chiyo has a moment to speak, Sasori barks, "you used this on my parents, didn't you?! You lied and told me that they had gone out in search of a better place for us to live, and that you would teach me magic in the meantime…it's been 10 years and I'm tired of these excuses! Tell me the truth!"

Chiyo pushes the book aside, "if I circled that spell, it doesn't prove anything. Perhaps the truth is more miserable – your parents didn't want you, so they sold you to me."

"That isn't possible!" Sasori shouts back, his hair billowing outwards as magic pulses through his veins dangerously, "I was there when you offered to give them money, and they refused! Then everything went dark for me, and I woke up here in this castle. I still remember it all perfectly, so don't you lie to me anymore!"

Chiyo sighs and says, "Do you really want to hear that I erased their memories? You really want to know the truth? Fine. They've forgotten about you long ago, and only a very powerful potion can restore such a forgotten memory. As I've said before, love only makes you weak, and causes anger. It's best to move forward and not to dwell on this matter."

Sasori lets out a low roar of anger and casts out his palm, facing towards Chiyo. Chiyo jumps aside just in time as a blast of energy emits from his palm. It hits the bush behind her, which catches aflame. Chiyo looks up at him, alarmed. Sasori sends out another beam of magic in her direction, missing again as she ducks for cover under a bench. "You! You dare take me away from my family!?"

"You still love them after all this time!?" Chiyo asks, perplexed, "I thought you would've forgotten them by now – don't you see how your silly affections for them are making you unstable, you're out of control right now!"

"No!" Sasori uses his magic to throw the bench across the garden, squishing several beautiful flowers in the process. Now Chiyo lays exposed, but she has her arms up in defense, ready to blockade his magical strikes. "You took away my only family, and lied to me! How am I ever supposed to forget and forgive something like that!?" His glare is engraved with both sorrow and fury.

Chiyo stands up, "Resentment and rage encompass your heart, you are not thinking clearly."

"I am seeing things clearer than ever before!" Sasori yells, "I'm banishing you from this place! Get out of here at once!" Sasori raises his hands up, focusing his energy on a spell he just learned – he's going to exile her, and enchant this castle so that she never lays foot inside again.

"Oh no you don't!" Chiyo cries back, her hand also outstretched, "I'll put a curse on you!"

"You old hag! You've already cursed me by taking my parents away! What more can you do?" Sasori screams.

Chiyo casts out a flash of power, and it hits Sasori square in the chest. He stumbles backwards and clutches his heart – it's throbbing and stinging like a poisonous bite. "Argh!" he yells out in pain, closing his eyes for a moment as his chest swells and throbs uncomfortably.

"I told you that your heart was consumed with hatred. Now, it will be sealed off from the world. You'll never know or understand love again!" Chiyo yells, "perhaps this will help you clear your mind!"

"Hag! What did you do to me!?" Sasori opens the front of his shirt, and looks down in horror to see that his chest has a circle around where his heart is – did she cut off his heart from the rest of his body, detach it from everything else?

"I simply cut off your ability to love. Your anger will only make the curse stronger, and it would take very powerful magic to break that curse. Now without love, you can focus on becoming a strong sorcerer, one that can rule over all the lands! Let me stay and help nurture you to full strength!" Chiyo pleads, her eyes wild.

Sasori grits his teeth, and curls his hand into a fist, "This changes nothing. I still feel as much anger towards you as before! I won't forget my feelings for my parents, even if you've locked away my love! I'll work alone and find them! I'll restore their memories!" Sasori throws his hand out, "Be gone you crazy woman!"

This time, his blast of energy shoots straight out into Chiyo's chest, and knocks her down. Sasori wastes no time in using his power to pick her up and toss her down the mountainside, no longer caring if she lives or dies. Chiyo startles and quickly uses her magic to descend slowly, but it's already too late for her. Sasori casted his enchantment around the castle, banishing Chiyo from ever entering again. As Chiyo looks upon the mountain during her fall, the castle disappears from sight, and she can feel in herself the strong magic protecting it from her.

In that split second of descent, everything changes for Chiyo. All her hopes and dreams of raising a powerful sorcerer to rule others with strength and dignity – it's all washed away.

What will Chiyo do now?

More importantly, what will become of Sasori?


	2. The Price of the Deal

Deidara's fingers are scraped, dry, and nearly bleeding at this point, there's a splotch of dirt on the bridge of his nose, and his long blonde hair is tied up in a messy ponytail, loose strands sticking to his sweaty face in clumps. He wishes he could tell himself that he's seen better days, but unfortunately, this sort of lifestyle is an everyday occurrence for Deidara.

Deidara daydreams idly as he scrubs the patio of his neighbor's porch. His neighbor, a plump woman with rosy cheeks, always gives him a good bit of coin for doing her dirty work. Deidara scrubs away at the soil stained patio, fingers blistering as he does his best to scrape off the muck and mold.

A flash of color catches his attention and he turns his head to see Kurotsuchi, his best friend, skipping towards him. She has a ratty old book tucked under her arm, and a broad smile. "Dei!"

"Hey Kuro!" he yells back, beckoning her over with a wave of his hand. "What do you have there?"

She holds out the book for Deidara to inspect, and he nearly has a heart attack. "No way! A book about art! Where did you find it un?"

Kuro smiles broadly and opens the pages gently, flipping through them. She finds some pages about ceramic and clay art pieces and holds the book out for Deidara to inspect. "I found this at the old school that had that a fire a few months back, seems like not everything was damaged," Kuro explains, while Deidara flips gingerly through the slightly torn pages.

"C-can I borrow this?" Deidara asks eagerly.

"It's yours," Kuro says, "I know you love playing with the mud clay, I figured this might get you inspired. Keep it, I don't need it."

Deidara gets up from the floor to give his friend a bone crushing hug in gratitude. Kuro leaves the book in Deidara's care and rushes out before Gretel, the plump older woman who hired Deidara to scrub her floors, comes back out. Deidara puts the book in his bag and gets back to work, with renewed energy. He thinks to all the times he played in his barren backyard at home, piling up dirt, mud, or earthen clay and creating various animals. His dad always yelled at him when he 'wasted time' being creative, so Deidara got used to destroying his creations soon after he fabricated them – it became sort of a game to him, building birds and spiders and all sorts of creatures from clay and then stomping them down, like an explosion.

Perhaps the concept of playing in the dirt and mud is odd to some, but for Deidara, it's perfectly normal. The only life he's ever known is a poor life. Being poor meant wearing drab, listless clothes, playing in the dirt alone, helping the neighbors with their labor intensive and sweat inducing chores to make a few coins, and skipping meals often, taking advantage of any meal that ever came his way. It wasn't the best life, but it was his lifestyle, and it was alright. It was all he knew. It wasn't particularly depressing, he had his best friend Kuro by his side to keep him company – the two spent lots of time dreaming of better times and places, usually reading story books to each other and inventing fictitious storylines. One of Deidara's favorite fantasy stories, although he'd never admit it to Kuro, was of the handsome prince sweeping a girl off her feet and falling in love. Deidara frequently daydreams of a prince someday coming to his rescue, whisking him away from his poor, miserable life and blessing him with love and money. He thinks of all the things he could do if only he had some money – he could buy a better home for his parents, and make sure that they always had food in their bellies each night. He and his prince charming could then raise a family of their own, if they were so inclined. These thoughts fill up Deidara's empty space throughout the day, and help him to get through the grueling tasks of cleaning and mopping and going to school in this poverty stricken town of his. He's already 18 years old, and there's no schooling available after that for him, which has caused Deidara great despair, for he loves to learn about the world around him. If he had money, then one day, perhaps he could even travel and see more of the world.

But these dreams are too big, they are simple fantasy, and he knows it. In reality, his future holds a much harsher life for him – one in which he'll most likely never leave his town, and he'll become a blacksmith or other tools man as his trade, considering how well he works with his hands. There's honor in such a job, of course, but Deidara still wishes and hopes that his prince charming is out there somewhere.

The past few months have been looking a bit bleak for his town, as they've been receiving threats from a neighboring village. This village has been taking over other small towns one by one, sucking them dry of their little resources, and taking it for themselves. They are trying to stand out among the other poor villages and become something of a rich city, but in the process, they have been taking from the meager people of these deprived places, and leaving them to wither. Deidara fears that their town will be next – and with little supplies, their town won't stand a chance. They don't have the means necessary to fight against this overpowering village's army, so they'll surely have to surrender.

Deidara finishes his job for Gretel and thanks her as she hands him his share of wealth that he earned. Despite the thoughts of doom weighing his mind, he is happy today – he has a new book to read, and it's about art, his most favorite subject in the world! Due to funding limitations, his school never taught him art or music or physical education – they stick to a strict schedule of the core courses like reading and math.

Deidara has a spring to his step as he walks home, his book safely stowed away in his bag. He barely notices the hollers of his admirers in the distance.

"Hey! Deidara!" one of the men calls out, "Where you headed? How about spending the evening with me?"

Deidara sighs and ignores them – he's used to this harassment of catcalling and snide remarks. He's known as the beauty of the town. Deidara has long, flowing blonde hair and a pale complexion, along with gorgeous blue eyes. It's no secret that all of the men and women find him attractive. It's flattering, but the problem with this is that none of them take the time to get to know him – they all see him as a pretty face, and nothing more.

"Hey, pretty blonde, don't ignore us!" another one calls out, "where are you going?"

Deidara rolls his eyes, "I'm going home, will you leave me alone please un? I want to get home so I can read."

"Read? Reading's for chumps," the first man says, "I'm handsome, and you are the belle of this poor town. If you and I went out, we'd be the talk of the town. What do you say, my beauty?"

"Disgusting," Deidara cringes, "I happen to enjoy reading, and I don't care what the town thinks un."

"Hmpf, be that way. One day soon, you'll come running into my arms," the man says, "Don't forget this face – the name is Gaston, and I can show you pleasure beyond any book you'll ever read."

"Thanks for the proposition, but I highly doubt that," Deidara says sarcastically, stepping aside the man and rushing past him. Gaston gives him one more sidelong glance, obviously checking him out. Deidara flinches and tries not to gag as he gets out of sight of the perverted and narcissistic fool.

Deidara finally arrives home and plops on his bed to read his book. He's only just getting through the description of some lovely Greek vases when his mother knocks on his door gently, "hello sweetheart."

"Hi mom," Deidara replies, folding a corner of the page down to keep his place in the book.

"Will you come help me make supper?" she asks. Deidara nods, already knowing that this would happen. His father is coming home soon, and he works long days as a shoemaker's apprentice. His father is always exhausted when he arrives, so his mom usually takes care of supper. His mother gets home earlier from her job at the market, selling their homegrown potatoes.

Deidara and his mother prepare by making a small fire to boil some water in the one pot they own. Deidara peels the potatoes that they've grown in their garden as his mom washes the carrots. Potatoes and carrots – a usual for their family. Deidara clears his throat, intending to ask his mother why she's being so quiet, but she speaks up first "there's a town meeting tonight," she explains, "your father wants you to go, since you're 18 now."

Deidara nods, trying to wrap his mind around this, "A town meeting…does it have to do with that village that's trying to take our land and substances?"

"Yes," his mother replies meekly, dropping the carrots into the pot of hot water. Deidara turns his face up to see a sliver of a tear roll down her cheek. So his worst fear must be coming to fruition – it seems they are going to war, and Deidara may have to fight.

…..

After a somber meal with his parents, Deidara and his father head towards the town hall, a rundown building that their leader resides in. The leader, Onoki, is extremely old and decrepit. There are rumors that he isn't in his right mind anymore, but at the moment, he's still their leader. Deidara often hears funny stories about him from Kuro, who sometimes does odd jobs for him like cleaning his kitchen or tidying his records. She's gotten close to Onoki over the years, and recently, he's even been teaching her the ins and outs of running the town.

Deidara is surprised to see so many gathered in the tiny building, and he is quick to spot Kuro and her father, who idle over to greet them. "What are you doing here?" Deidara asks her, confused.

"I wanted to hear what Onoki has to say," Kuro explains.

"Do you think we're going to have to fight?" Deidara asks, worry clear in his voice.

She shrugs, "Not sure. But if we do, I'm definitely going to crush them!"

"Kuro," Deidara shoves her playfully, "You can't fight."

"Why? Because I'm a girl?" she sneers at him, and oh boy, if looks could kill…

"No un!" Deidara shakes his head forcefully, "that's not what I meant, I just meant that I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

Kuro sighs, "if it's to save the lives of our people, then I don't care." There's a look of determination in her eye, one that he's never seen before. He's always known her to be tough, but he never imagined she would be willing to fight for their poor way of life. He admires her bravery, but his heart aches, knowing deep down that they'll be fighting a losing war.

"My people," Onoki begins, standing up on a few boxes for support, as he's quite a short man. "I know you all worry about our neighbors to the east, that is why I've called this meeting here today."

"Are we really sending our children out to fight a losing battle?" one voice calls out from the crowd, "we have no weapons!"

"Wouldn't it be smart to surrender, and make a deal with them?" another voice emits.

"No way!" a booming protestor yells, "those people don't want to make a deal!"

"Then we need a miracle!" another cry rings.

"Enough!" Onoki raises a palm, silencing the crowd. "We cannot just sit back and let our way of life be taken from us. Their army is strong, but we have one thing they lack – fortitude and determination!"

There's immediate uproar from the crowd again, and many angered voices cry out at the old man. Deidara is lost in the dissonance of sound in the cramped building, so he backs up a few paces, trying to extricate himself from the crowd. He backs up against the wall, and watches the angry mob in silent horror. What will his town do? This situation is truly impossible.

As if in answer of his prayers, the double doors of the building open widely, and everyone goes silent. It's odd, and eerie, how quiet it gets, and so suddenly. Deidara cranes his neck to see what everyone is staring at.

There's a figure at the door, shadowed by the dark of the night. As he steps into the dim light in the room, Deidara watches as the crowd slowly parts for him, allowing him a pathway to their leader. As he walks closer, Deidara gets the feeling that this person is of high importance. Deidara watches, mesmerized, as the man finally comes into his view.

Deidara stares agape, captivated. This man is short, but that doesn't seem to matter at all, because his arrogance and confidence make up for what he's lacking in height. He wears the most elegant, finest outfit Deidara's ever laid eyes on – a golden, intricate coat over luxurious white pants and unsullied, immaculate black leather shoes. His shock of red hair only adds to his wealthy, opulent appearance. He's smiling like he knows secrets that no one else in this room could ever dream up, and his somewhat lazy, hazel eyes focus on Onoki like he's his prey.

Deidara has never seen anything or anyone like him in his life. He can't look away. He's fascinated by this man's every move, and when he hears him speak, it sounds like something foreign in his ears – his voice is laced with poison but it's hidden beneath a sweet, honey-like façade that exudes throughout the room like a booming echo – "Hello Onoki. It looks like you are in quite a situation here."

"You," Onoki sputters out, pale in the face, "Sasori the Red."

There's hushed gasps in the crowd, and a few people step back up even further from this Sasori. Deidara is confused – he's never heard of Sasori the red before. Is he a formidable man? What's so special about him? He clearly isn't from this town, yet everyone seems to know him here, and they revere him with both awe and fear.

"Yes, so you've heard of me, even in this dump of a town," Sasori says with a smirk. Deidara feels his temple surge with anger – how dare this outsider call their town a 'dump!'

"What do you want?" Onoki asks, exasperated, "I've heard you're in the business of making deals, so what sort of deal are you here for?"

"Well, you have quite a situation on your hands, don't you? You need weapons I presume, and possibly even a few hands – I'm talking well trained, well experienced men and women ready to fight," Sasori says, sweeping around the room, pacing slowly.

"And what do you want in return? You know we have little to offer," Onoki says.

"Well, that's the thing – I don't need much this time. You see, I need something simple, just a maid to clean my rather large estate," Sasori explains, walking around the elder.

"You need someone to clean your house? That's it?" Onoki is baffled.

"Yes. Well, you see, this person wouldn't be able to ever come back home. I don't offer up information on my property's whereabouts to anyone, so whomever comes, can never leave. They will have to leave this town behind, and be my servant, forever," Sasori explains, as if this is all fine and dandy.

Onoki is quiet for a moment, and he scans the faces around the room. No one offers themselves up, naturally – it would mean leaving their families and friends behind, for forever. No one in their right mind would volunteer for such a heavy burden.

Sasori continues, "do you have anyone you'd like to offer up? It looks like you have a shy crowd here."

Deidara's stomach flops uncomfortably – Onoki wouldn't, would he? But sure enough, Onoki's eyes search the room until they land on Kurotsuchi. She nods silently, accepting her destiny, and steps forward into the inner circle, while Onoki states, "my best servant is Kurotsuchi. She has done cooking, cleaning, and gardening for me for quite some time. She would make you – "

"I'll go!" Deidara hears the words slip forward before he has a moment to really think about it – he's pushed himself off the wall and in front of Onoki, his heart is racing a mile a minute.

"You?" Onoki looks confused.

"No!" Kuro cries out, yanking on Deidara, "Why?"

"You belong here un," Deidra tells her, eyes serious, "I can't let you go off with that…monster." Deidara looks over in Sasori's direction. He has a bad feeling about this man, and his aura – he's overconfident, smug, and likes to make dirty deals. Deidara gets an overall negative feel about him. Being alone in his mansion forever is a prison sentence, and he simply can't let his best friend go through that. Kuro is stronger than him, and she has a more promising future ahead – she can stay in the village and become the next leader. This town needs a good leader, someone stern and determined and passionate like Kuro to take over when Onoki passes away.

Sasori raises an eyebrow, "What a strange turn of events. What's your name brat?"

Deidara growls at the mention of 'brat,' but he answers the question nevertheless, "It's Deidara un."

Sasori draws closer to him, "You aren't scared of me?"

"No," Deidara admits, standing his ground.

Sasori's evil smile twists upwards, "You will be," he says, voice full of wickedness. He looks Deidara up and down, his eyes scoping every inch of his body, making Deidara feel uncomfortable, "you're dirty and tattered, what do you do brat?"

"It's Deidara," he corrects, "And I can do any chore you throw my way, I've been cleaning and cooking all my life."

"Good," Sasori says, "he'll do just fine."

"No!" Deidara is shocked to hear his father's voice from the crowd. His dad rushes forward and embraces Deidara in a rare hug. "What will your mother say?"

"Tell her that I did this for her. I did this for our town. Now we can have both weapons and an army, we'll win this battle for sure. Kuro can stay behind and someday, she'll become the new leader un," Deidara explains all this with as much hope as he can muster, but deep down, he feels empty and lonely, lonelier than he's ever felt in his life. He's going to miss his father, his mother, and Kuro. He's going to miss his town, the only place he's ever known, his home.

His father nods in understanding, and he gives Deidara a kiss on the forehead before parting. Kurotsuchi immediately pulls him into a hug, whispering into his ear, "you don't have to be the hero here!"

"I've always wanted to be useful un," Deidara says back, "I'll be like the hero in those storybooks we always read, this will be like a new adventure."

"But there won't be a happy ending for you, not like in the books," Kuro says sadly, her voice choked.

"That's okay," Deidara lies, "if you and the people of this town are happy and safe, then it's worth it. And hey, I'll find a way to escape someday, don't you worry."

"Oh!" Kuro crushes him in a hug once more, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Alright, enough already," Sasori says, breaking up their heartwarming moment by pulling them apart.

"Hey!" Kuro yells, "you can't just take him away from here so suddenly! Give him time to say goodbye!"

"He just said his goodbyes," Sasori retorts, "Besides, it's easier this way. If he takes time to say goodbye, then it'll only make this harder."

Kuro is about to protest again, but Deidara cuts her off, "It's fine, he's right un. I only have one request – can we go back to my home before leaving? I want to grab one thing before I leave forever."

Sasori narrows his eyes, but grants Deidara's one wish, "sure."

…..

Deidara deliberately slips into his house quietly to grab his art book. He can't bear to see his mother, the light and joy of his life, before he breaks her heart. His father is waiting outside with Sasori, they all agreed it would be best to get this out of the way as quick as possible. His father understands the consequences coming his way, and he's prepared to soothe his wife who will be undoubtedly miserable for the rest of her life.

Deidara is almost to the door when he hears her small cry of surprise behind him. His heart is heavy in his chest as he turns around to see her worried face, "Deidara, when did you get in? Where's your father? Where are you going?"

"I-I forgot something," Deidara lies through his teeth. His insides feel like lead. "I have to give this book back to Kuro, she's at the meeting too. Onoki has been talking about options, but we haven't gotten anywhere yet un."

His mother rolls her eyes, "That man. I swear, Kuro could do a better job than him hm!"

"Yeah," Deidara cracks a smile, "I agree."

"Well, don't keep her waiting," his mother says, opening the door for him.

Deidara's heart clutches tightly in his chest, and his lungs feel deflated, as though he's drowning in a lake. Goodbyes are too hard, Sasori was right. How can he ever leave his mother, knowing that he's going to cause her so much pain?

Deidara pulls his mother in for a hug, and he kisses her cheek, before whispering, "I love you mom. I will always love you no matter what un."

His mother hugs him back, surprised by his sudden display of affection, "I love you too sweetie. Now get back to your meeting hm. Let's hope for all our sakes that Onoki doesn't send you out to fight."

"Yes," Deidara says as he parts from her, his heart somehow even heavier than before, "Let's hope for the best."

And just like that, Deidara walks out of his house for the last time in his life.

He walks away from his mother, never to see her again.


	3. The Castle

Deidara's eyes are red and swollen from crying when they finally stop. Sasori rode his horse, with Deidara sitting behind him, holding onto his waist for support and silently cursing him as the tears leaked freely. It was a long ride, through lots of wind and bitter cold, but Sasori never spoke a word, never acknowledged his crying servant, never even turned to look at him. Deidara got the feeling that Sasori didn't know how to handle a crying person, or perhaps, he just simply didn't care.

But the horse has finally stopped running; it's pawing it's hooves in the dirt and neighing loudly. "Where to next un?" Deidara asks, voice cracked from all his crying. He wipes at his eyes, trying to get a hold of himself. He looks up at the mountain before him, slightly awestruck by its sheer height.

"Up," Sasori states simply. He dismounts the horse, and Deidara does the same, confused. "My castle is hidden in the mountain, making it difficult for people to find or to reach."

"So, how are we supposed to get up there un?" Deidara asks. He cranes his head to look up the side of the mountain, and sure enough, he can see the outline of a large building up there. He wonders how big it really is – is it really a _castle_? He's never seen a castle before in his life.

"We fly, of course," Sasori says, as if it's that simple.

Deidara splutters, "f-fly? What are you, a sorcerer?" He's heard rumor that magical sorcerers exist in this land, but they were nothing more than legends or myths. At least, that's what Deidara thought.

"Exactly," Sasori says, "now hold on." He holds his hand outwards for Deidara to grab.

Deidara is skeptical, but he complies with this strange redhead's command. He holds Sasori's hand, which is surprisingly warm – he had expected it to be cold, to match Sasori's disposition.

The next instant, Deidara is gasping and he's flailing his legs around as he and Sasori suddenly shoot up into the air like a bird, upwards towards the sky. Deidara yells in surprise, and looks down, watching the horse they left behind grow smaller and smaller below them. His heart is in his throat and his body feels numb with cold as they increase altitude.

They reach the peak of their ascent, and Deidara is in awe of the view around him – he can see green lush land all over, spotted with trees and small villages everywhere. It's breathtaking, seeing the world from this angle – he feels like a bird, floating on a cloud and admiring life from afar. It's truly amazing, being up in the sky like this, but it's over in a flash – Deidara's feet land on cold stone and Sasori lands behind him, letting go of his hand.

Now Deidara's view is overwhelmed by the castle before him – it's enormous, larger than any structure Deidara could ever imagine! The peak rises three, maybe even four, stories high into the sky, and it's wide, stretching the size of four homes. The façade is laden with grey stones and a big wooden doorway, with intricate carvings around the frame. The windows are beautiful stained glass pictures, with amazing colors and unique geometric patterns. The sight takes Deidara's breath away, and he's too stunned to even realize that he's shivering to the bone, freezing up in this high altitude.

"C'mon brat," Sasori says sternly. Deidara blinks out of his reverie, noticing that Sasori is somehow at the door now, holding it open for Deidara. Deidara follows numbly, his eyes never leaving the sight of the large castle before him.

He steps inside and is immediately comforted by the warmth that emanates throughout the castle. He gasps once more as he takes a scope of his new living space – they've entered a large nave, with a wide staircase and massive pillars and two doors on either side. The room is laden with the finest and most opulent decorations that he's ever seen – paintings that look like they're from the renaissance period, a Greek goddess statue in the middle of the floor, and one crystal chandelier hanging above them, giving a soft glow to the room.

"Keep up you slow brat," Sasori seethes from across the room. Deidara hurries to catch up behind Sasori, who is waiting impatiently at the door on the right of the staircase. He opens it up to another large room, this one with a grand wooden table, with six neat chairs around it. There's a chandelier above the table, and the shelves around the room house ornate china and silverware. The entire room looks delicate, as though one wrong move might cause a catastrophe of broken china. Deidara enters with extreme caution.

"This is my dining room," Sasori explains, waving his hand around in a bored fashion. "You'll serve me my food and my tea in here."

"Oh," Deidara stammers out. His voice still feels a little choked from crying earlier. "Yes."

"That's yes _master_ to you," Sasori corrects, stepping closer to Deidara in an effort to intimidate him.

"Yes master," Deidara snarls the word out like it's something dirty and rotten.

"I don't quite like that tone," Sasori replies, still making his way closer to Deidara, deliberately slowly. He reaches Deidara and whips a hand out, grabbing him by his cheeks, clamping them tight together. "You'll learn to respect me or you'll regret it," Sasori warns, vehemence radiating through his vocal cords.

"What will you do?" Deidara tries to say, but the words come jumbled out, with his mouth clamped nearly shut by Sasori's firm grip.

Sasori lets him go and smirks, then he snaps his fingers and the candles in the dining room go out, leaving them in pitch black darkness. A chill runs up Deidara's spine – what happened to the warmth? He tries to look around, but the darkness is overwhelming, he can't even see his own hand in front of his face, and he feels a bubble of panic in his chest. Did Sasori's magic make it this dark in here? Where is Sasori?

As in response, Deidara feels warm breath on his ear, and he freezes on the spot. Sasori whispers in his ear from behind, "if you aren't afraid of me yet, you soon will be. I'm not someone to toy with young boy."

Deidara hears a snap again, and then the lights come on and the chill in the room dissipates. Deidara blinks as his eyes adjust to the lighting, and he sees Sasori standing in front of him, despite the fact that he was clearly just behind him a moment ago. Another involuntary shiver runs through Deidara, and he realizes that he is indeed a bit scared of this demon sorcerer before him.

"Now," Sasori says, ignoring everything that just happened, "Let's continue our tour of my grand castle, shall we?"

They continue to walk through lavish rooms of all kinds – bathrooms, bedrooms, living rooms, a ballroom, the kitchen – absolutely everything is more luxuriant and massive than Deidara can possibly imagine is even necessary. The castle is beautiful, to say the least. He's stunned by every single room he sees, and his eyes can't even begin to fixate on one adorned item before he's being dragged on to the next room. He wonders how he'll ever find his way around this maze of a building, let alone clean the whole thing. As they walk, Sasori mentions various duties he wants him to accomplish – mopping the floors, wiping the windows, scrubbing the tubs, the list goes on and on until Deidara's head begins to spin.

They reach a room on the second floor just by the grand staircase, and Sasori turns to face him gravely, "this is my personal room, you must never go in here."

"Okay," Deidara says mindlessly, admiring the marble pillars.

"Brat, listen," Sasori swoops in on Deidara so fast he has no time to react. Sasori grabs him by his collar and pulls harshly, "I told you, you must _never_ go in here!"

"Yes! Okay un!" Deidara says frantically, desperately trying to get away from this raging man. Sasori is fine one moment, and then the next he's angered about something that seems so insignificant to Deidara.

"Yes, _master,"_ Sasori's voice is a low growl of disapproval.

"Yes master. I won't go in there master," Deidara spits out with disdain. Sasori smirks and lets go of his grip on the blonde's shirt.

"Now, there's only one more room I have to show you to, and that's your room," Sasori explains.

Deidara nods, his heart still beating madly with adrenaline induced fear from being yelled at so unexpectedly. Sasori leads him down a hallway and turns to the left, leading down a hall with only one door. He opens the door and Deidara peeks inside – it's definitely the smallest of all the rooms in the castle, but it's still bigger than his room back home. The walls are bare, but he has one window to look out of, and a single bed with several pillows and one blue blanket. It's the most simple room in the castle, but somehow, it's perfect for Deidara.

"Th-thank you," Deidara says, feeling his throat constrict with the promise of more tears to come, "master. Thank you master."

Sasori leers at him, and then gives him a shove, "well, go on in already."

Deidara yelps in surprise at being pushed into the room. He turns back at Sasori and scowls, "if I'm going to be living with you, you could try being nice hm!"

"Sorry brat, but I don't do _nice,"_ Sasori grits the word through clenched teeth – it seems like he's in a constant state of anger, for no explainable reason. Perhaps his heart is cold and dark from loneliness. Deidara isn't quite sure why he's so wrathful.

"Does anyone else live here besides you?" Deidara wonders, sitting on his new bed, testing out its comfortablility.

"No," Sasori states simply, "I don't have time for boring discussions with you. You may have been popular back home with that pretty face, but batting those eyes at me won't work here. I'll give you time to rest, and then you can clean yourself in the bath down the hall, you're absolutely filthy and disgusting. I'll go lay out some clothes for you there, we can burn those rags you're wearing."

"Yes master," Deidara says, averting his eyes from the cold stare of the redhead. Although Sasori's speech is laced with hurtful, jabbing words, his intentions are actually quite nice. It's been a long while since Deidara's had a warm bath, and after traveling all day, his body aches to have some rest.

Sasori turns down the hall without a word, leaving Deidara alone.

…..

Deidara takes his time in the bath, relishing in the soapy water and letting his muscles relax after the most exhausting day of his life. His heart is still full of sorrow, he can't stop thinking about his mother, father, and Kuro. He hopes that Sasori will keep to his word and send troops with good weapons out to his poor village to help them.

After a bath, Deidara's body feels the full weight of his exhaustion, an he's ready to sleep. He changes into the clothes Sasori left out for him, which are a significant upgrade from the 'rags' he was wearing earlier. The shirt is plain white, but free of blemish or stains. The pants are simple, and made from cotton, but they are comfortable and are sure to not itch like his old clothes. Deidara finds a sliver of hope in his solitude – at least he is no longer living in stricken poverty, he won't have to worry about where to find clothes or food or shelter for himself – it seems that Sasori is keen on keeping him well taken care of so that he can properly clean his massive castle.

Sure enough, Deidara finds a note on his bed when he returns, which simply reads "dinner in 10 minutes, come to the dining hall."

Deidara is grateful for the offer for food, but in his current situation, he isn't feeling hungry. In fact, he feels quite the opposite – his insides are churning with something like illness. Did he do the right thing in leaving his villagers behind? How will he know the outcome of their battle? Will his mother be alright without him?

Unanswered questions plague his mind, and the tears coming springing forth again, as if on command. Deidara lays on his bed, defeated and tired and hopeless and lonely. He sobs quietly into his pillow, thinking that he'll have to pass up on dinner this time around.

He cradles himself in a ball and cries for a few minutes to himself. He's shocked when he hears a loud knock on his door.

"M-Master?" Deidara stifles out from his pillow, throat raw from heaving.

"I thought I told you to come down for dinner!" Sasori yells in a rage.

"I'm not hungry un," Deidara yells back defiantly.

"Nonsense!" Sasori bangs on the door, and Deidara flinches on the bed. He's lucky that this door has a lock, he doesn't exactly want to see the sort of look on Sasori's enraged face right now.

"I'm tired and upset! Leave me alone please," Deidara practically begs from the other side. Surely Sasori will understand, right?

"I won't take no for an answer! I've already made enough food for two, get your ass to the dining hall now!" Sasori commands, his voice rising even higher than before.

Deidara realizes that he's truly stumbled into a horrible situation – this Sasori the Red has no empathy, no care for anyone! He's a truly despicable monster! How dare he yell at Deidara and order him around after pulling him away from his family forever!

Deidara bangs back on the door and screams, "I'm not hungry!"

"Why you!" Sasori's fury can be felt even though there's a door between them. Deidara backs up into a corner and whimpers slightly – there's another chill in the air and then the door bursts open in a flash, revealing a Sasori so mad his hair is sticking out on end.

Deidara gulps, afraid of what this monstrous man might do to him if he refuses again. "Fine. Have it your way." He gets up and rushes past Sasori, eager to get dinner over with.

Sasori trudges behind Deidara, and both make their way to the dining room in tense silence. There's two bowls of soup and two plates of food waiting on the table. Deidara waits for Sasori to take his seat at the head before he sits next to him, staring in admiration at the meal placed before him. There's tomato soup, roasted chicken, carrots, and a roll of bread! Deidara's never seen so much food before, and his mouth begins to water, against his own defiant will. He's no longer angry anymore – he's intrigued by the decadent meal placed before him.

Sasori begins eating, making grumpy, angered sounds in between mouthfuls of food – it seems his temper doesn't die down easily. Deidara stares unblinkingly at the food for a few minutes, still shocked by the sheer amount, before he finally picks up his fork. He tries the chicken – and oh it's divine! His taste buds have never experienced such flavor before in his life!

He tries his best to use his manners, but it's nearly an impossible feat – like holding back a lion from a fresh killed zebra. His primal instincts take over, telling him to eat, to _devour_ this rare delicious meal placed before him. And so, Deidara lets his inner hungry child out, he gobbles the food down like no one's business.

Sasori stares at him for a while, watching as his new servant stuffs his face like a pig. He clears his throat and says, "I thought you weren't hungry, you miserable brat."

Deidara stops packing his cheeks with food for a second to look over at Sasori. Sasori's temple is already throbbing, and Deidara fears the worst. He swallows his bite of food fast and rambles, "Sorry, um, master, I've never seen this much food before."

"I guess it's only natural, considering your upbringing. But things will be different from now on," Sasori says in an even keel. Perhaps he isn't mad this time? But just as Deidara thinks this, Sasori slaps a hand on the table, startling him and causing some of the silverware to jump up. "If you ever disregard your manners in front of me again though, I will stab you with a fork, do you hear! Have more respect for your master! You can't eat like an animal in front of me! How dare you!"

"Ah, yes, sorry master!" Deidara cowers, frightened by this sudden burst of outrage.

Sasori grunts and then curls his hand into a fist and closes his eyes. He takes a deep exhale and then releases his fist before opening his eyes again. "Now then," he says, voice calm once more. Deidara is puzzled – did he deliberately calm himself down? Is he trying not to lose his temper so easily? "Finish your meal and then wash the dishes. You may go to your room afterwards."

"Yes master," Deidara says, picking his fork back up, this time with more grace in his mannerisms. He and Sasori finish the meal in a painful, awkward silence, and then Deidara takes both of their plates to the kitchen sink to scrub them clean before bed. By the time he finishes cleaning, Sasori has already disappeared. He takes this as his cue to head back to his room, for some well deserved sleep.

…

The next morning, Deidara wakes early and brushes his long blonde hair before strolling down into the dining hall, wondering what his new master will have in store for him today. He's surprised to find a long list of chores on the table, with no explanation whatsoever of where Sasori has gone.

Deidara sighs, taking a look at the lengthy list of chores – it will definitely take him all day to complete this. He gets started with cleaning the windows, since there's upwards of 20, maybe even 30, windows throughout the castle (he stopped counting halfway through, there were too many to keep track of).

As Deidara cleans throughout the day, only pausing to get food or use the restroom, he has time to ponder the events of the previous day.

Sasori came into the meeting so unexpectedly, and then took Deidara away from his home without even batting an eye. Deidara has ascertained a few traits of Sasori – he's rude, angry, short tempered and doesn't seem to care about anyone. And yet, there's still so much of Sasori that Deidara does not yet know – how did he become a sorcerer? Why does he live in this massive castle all alone? Where did he go today? Why is he called Sasori the Red?

Deidara works diligently throughout the day, by the time he's finished with his chores, it's already late at night. He fixes himself a quick bowl of soup to eat (experimenting in Sasori's kitchen proved to be quite fun) and then makes himself comfortable at the dining table.

It's eerie, eating all alone in this large, empty room. Deidara is just wondering to himself how long Sasori will be gone when the door bursts open and in walks Sasori.

Sasori takes off his coat and throws it aside to hang on one of the empty chairs before he plops himself in a seat and puts his feet up on the table, clearly exhausted. He's covered in dirt, and there's a foul smell of something like fish on him. It's quite a disturbing appearance compared to the elegance of his outfit from yesterday. Deidara wonders where on earth this man has been to look like that.

"Don't just stare, fetch me some food!" Sasori commands, already irritated about something.

Deidara scurries up from his chair and grabs a bowl of soup for Sasori, which he places in front of him, several inches away from his muddy boots. Sasori wrinkles his nose at the soup, "Couldn't you have made something better? I thought you said you were a good cook."

Deidara is immediately hurt by this rude comment, and he can't hold his tongue any longer, "I've never seen some of the food you have in your kitchen master, so I'm afraid I don't know how to cook with some of those ingredients. Also, master, would you please take your feet off the table, I just wiped it clean before you got here un!" Deidara scolds Sasori, no longer caring of the whiplash he's about to receive. He worked hard to clean this castle dammit!

Sasori gives Deidara a surprised, yet fierce, look – Deidara tries his best to stand his ground, but he's worried that he might have just ruined everything. What if Sasori kicks him out and breaks the deal with his village? Or what if Sasori decides to curse Deidara?

Deidara waits for the worst, but all Sasori does is take his feet off the table in a gruff and pick up his spoon. Deidara watches in amazement as Sasori takes a few slurps of the soup – so he isn't going to punish Deidara?! This redhead is sure full of surprises, and a lot more difficult to read than Deidara had originally thought. Perhaps there's another side of him that Deidara hasn't seen yet.

"I'll get some cookbooks for you the next time I'm in the market," Sasori says, "go sit and eat. Did you finish your chores?" Sasori asks.

"Yes master," Deidara replies, "I did everything on the list."

"Good," Sasori says, looking down into his bowl and taking a few more bites. He looks off into the distance, as though his mind is elsewhere.

"M-Master?"

"What?"

"Where did you go today?" Deidara asks.

Sasori turns his head slowly, and Deidara suddenly feels that dreaded panic again – did he ask the wrong question? Why is Sasori looking at him with such abhorrence?

"That," Sasori raises a finger, "Is a question I don't usually answer. My whereabouts and business are none of your concern, do you understand?"

"Yes. Yes master," Deidara says, nodding.

"But anyhow, you can know about today, since it concerns your little town," Sasori says slowly. Deidara perks up in his chair, listening closely, "I went to another town far away from here that I've done business with before. They owed me a favor, and I cashed it in today. They'll be sending their best men and women to your tiny town to help in their battle against that greedy town to the east. I always keep my promises."

Deidara feels his eyes prickle with tears – so Sasori is truly going to help his village! How wonderful! "Thank you master, thank you so much un!" Deidara cries, overwhelmed with emotion.

"What's this? You're crying again?" Sasori asks with frustration.

"I'm happy this time un," Deidara says, looking into his empty bowl. He's grateful that Sasori told him where he went today. His village will be alright. His mother, father, and Kuro will be safe.

"Good, then you'll be able to draw me a hot bath after you clean our dishes," Sasori states, pushing his bowl away from him, "I'm tired, so hurry it up."

"Yes master," Deidara says, grabbing their bowls and cleaning fast.


	4. A Visit to the Port City

Over the course of the next 2 weeks, Deidara learns when it's best to ask questions and when not to. He spends most of the day cleaning, cooking, and washing various items throughout this large castle. Although dirty work is never fun, exploring the vast castle is always entertaining. In his free time, he curls up on his bed with his art book, perusing through the pictures and reading up on different forms of art.

Sasori yells at him sometimes, and other times, he speaks in a gentler, more calm tone. There's often a hint of strain or tension in his voice, even when he is calm however. When Sasori isn't away from the castle, he busies himself with creating weapons that he keeps in his armory or carving structures from wood. He's actually quite skilled at woodcarving, which is something that caught Deidara's immediate attention and interest.

Deidara decided to ask Sasori about it one day, when he seemed to not be in such an angry mood. "What are you making master?"

"Oh this?" Sasori lifts up an intricate wooden arm from his crafting table, inspecting it and allowing Deidara to get a closer look, "I like to construct puppets and mannequins. Haven't you seen some of my art in the armory?"

"Yes master. I saw a few puppets there, I never knew you handcrafted them," Deidara admits.

"It's my favorite form of art," Sasori admits. Deidara feels special, knowing this piece of information – it's like Sasori is slowly giving out parts of himself to Deidara, but the puzzle is still out of focus, Deidara still needs more pieces. "It helps me forget."

"Forget what?" Deidara inquires.

Sasori gives him a quirky sort of smile, and something stirs inside of Deidara – he's never seen Sasori smile like that before, it's quite nice. "I guess it worked," Sasori jokes. It takes Deidara a minute to remember what they were talking about, that smile of his left Deidara's mind blank for a moment.

Deidara chuckles a little and Sasori smiles to himself before turning back to his work. Deidara also goes back to mopping the floor, but in the back of his mind, he wonders what it is Sasori is trying to forget.

Did something tragic happen in his past? Is that why he lives alone, up in the mountain, far from civilization? Is that why he's carefully locked his heart away, and protected it with anger and coldness towards the world?

Perhaps in time, Deidara will slowly find out more about Sasori.

…

Some days are easier than others for Deidara. He gets miserably lonely in the castle when Sasori isn't around, and his mind naturally wanders off towards his village – how is Kuro doing? Is Onoki still the leader? Is his mother still grieving over his absence? These questions swim unpleasantly through his mind and he frequently breaks down in various locations around the castle and sobs until his soul feels clear again.

As time passes, these thoughts come to him less often, and when they do, he doesn't break down in tears as much anymore. His fortitude becomes stronger everyday as he reminds himself that he's cleaning this bathtub for his family, or that he's hanging the laundry for the safety of his village.

By now, he's read his art book several times through, and he wishes he could have grabbed more books to peruse through in his free time. He found some nice earthy clay in Sasori's garden that he often likes to mold into creatures, the way he did when he was a child. He's afraid of what Sasori might say if he finds him 'slacking off' though, so he always destroys his creations, just like he did back home.

The garden is certainly one of his most treasured places to be in Sasori's grand estate. The flowers always smell so wonderful and delicate, and the sunlight hits the trees with such grace, sometimes Deidara wonders if he's died and gone to heaven. He could spend hours perusing through the multitude of flowers and bushes, admiring all of nature's beauty. He rarely sees Sasori go out to the garden, but when he does, Deidara can see the faintest of smiles shadowing across Sasori's face, proving that the power of pure natural beauty has no adversary.

Sasori is a very quiet, diligent man, Deidara has discovered. When he isn't griping and yelling about something, he's usually silent, in a somber, almost glum sort of perpetual state. Deidara often wants to ask him what's wrong, but he holds his tongue, and lets the silence carry on between them.

One morning, about a month and a half after Deidara's initial arrival, Sasori is sitting at the table and looking to be in good spirits. "You look happy today," Deidara notes, watching his master use magic to twirl his fork around in the air.

"Yes, I have a meeting with someone at the port city today," Sasori explains. Deidara is about to ask why this would make someone happy, when Sasori adds, "would you like to tag along with me?"

Deidara can't believe his ears, "You want me to come with you?"

"It's about time you get out of the castle I think. This city has some of the best seafood I've ever tasted, since they live by the ocean. Besides, I require your help," Sasori says, letting his fork glide back to the table gently.

"Sure un! I'd love to come, thank you master," Deidara says gratefully. He's been cooped up in this castle for a while now, so he's eager to stretch out his feet.

….

Sasori uses magic to fly them down the mountain, where a horse and carriage await them. Deidara is shocked to see the wooden carriage tied to the horse, "We aren't going to just ride the horse there?"

"You'll see, impatient brat," Sasori mutters, although not irately.

He opens the carriage door to reveal two seats, one stacked with Sasori's handcrafted weapons. Swords, bows, arrows, axes, and other types of weaponry stack up in the seat. Sasori leads Deidara into the carriage and explains, "this is why I need your help, I'd like you to help carry some of these weapons into the city with me. We're meeting with an elected official, and making a deal with him."

"What are you trading these weapons for?" Deidara asks.

Sasori doesn't answer him, he simply closes the door on Deidara and hops onto the horse, leading the way. Well, at least Sasori didn't yell at Deidara…in some ways, it's quite an improvement.

….

The ride to this port city is long and arduous – the carriage rolls over several bumps and potholes along the way, causing Deidara to jumble around in his seat. He feels somewhat sick of the ride and is about to flag Sasori to slow down or stop for a break, when the carriage suddenly stops moving all together. Deidara peeks out the window to see that they've arrived in a bustling street, filled with people, horses, and lots of tall, lavish buildings.

Sasori ties his horse up and fetches Deidara from within the carriage, "You okay? I know it's a bumpy ride."

"I'm okay," Deidara says, startled that Sasori cares about his well being. "The fresh air will do me some good un."

"Yes," Sasori leads Deidara away from the carriage, "we'll leave it be for now, let's fill our bellies before our meeting with Kisame. I'm starved."

"Kisame?"

"He's the lord who we'll be making our deal with today. Now, do you prefer salmon or cod?" Sasori asks, walking towards a restaurant.

"I've never had either," Deidara admits. Fish was always a difficult commodity to come by where he lived.

"Then let's try both, shall we?" Sasori asks, giving Deidara a rare smile. Deidara nods, feeling his cheeks grow warm. Sasori's smile is like the sun, and it somehow makes Deidara's head spin a little bit.

….

Sasori treats Deidara to dishes he's never even heard of before – rice with raw fish on top that they call 'sushi,' and baked salmon with the most wonderful sauce he's ever tried in his life. Sasori uses his notoriety in his favor to boss the waiters around and to make sure the meal and the overall experience is perfect. Deidara feels a little bad for the waiters he's ordering around, but then he notices the large pile of coins that Sasori leaves behind, and he doesn't quite feel so sorry for them anymore.

After their meal, they walk back to Sasori's carriage and Sasori pulls out a few weapons for himself and Deidara to carry. "Be careful with these brat, the handles on those swords were hand crafted by myself," Sasori commands, a hint of displeasure and distrust in his voice.

Deidara tucks them under his arm safely, "of course master."

Sasori leads them in through the double doors of one of the larger buildings, not even bothering to knock. Apparently Sasori doesn't feel the need to knock to let his presence known. He pushes his hand forward and the door at the end of the hall bursts open, revealing a room with two men sitting at a table.

"Well, hello there Sasori," the taller of the two men speaks first. It seems he's the one in charge, as he sits at the head of the table, and exudes confidence and power. Deidara notes that his teeth are quite pointy, and his eyes are squinty – he almost looks like a fish.

"Kisame," Sasori greets, lying his weapons out on the table. He snaps at Deidara and so Deidara follows suit, laying out his weapons gently on the wooden surface.

"I'll have my servant fetch us some drinks," Kisame indicates the other man sitting next to him, who gets up and rushes to the door. "Who is this young man you've brought along?"

"I got myself a servant boy too," Sasori explains. Deidara is standing behind Sasori, unsure what to do or say. Sasori takes a seat and pulls out a chair for Deidara, and so he sits, still feeling awkward.

"I see," Kisame looks over at Deidara, "does he order you around all day long? Is he ever nice, or does he simply yell at you constantly?"

"Um," Deidara doesn't know what to say to that – it's true that Sasori's temper gets out of control quite often, but he can also be courteous – like with taking Deidara out for seafood that afternoon.

It seems that Kisame already knows the answer though, because he tilts his head back and gives a bark of a laugh, "Oh Sasori, you've got your errand boy flat out scared to the bone!" Kisame's servant returns with their drinks, which he lays out on the table for the three of them. Deidara is surprised to see that he's been given a glass of wine too. Kisame takes a sip and then continues, "do you know why they call him Sasori the Red?"

Deidara perks up slightly, "No sir," he admits.

"Sir!?" Kisame cackles madly again, "oh boy, you do train them well Sasori!"

"Can we get on with this?" Sasori asks, temple starting to pulse.

But Kisame ignores him, "he's known as Sasori the Red because of his anger – he's monstrous when he's mad, and his face can turn as red as his hair, I've seen it before. Most people fear him, and they make up these outrageous stories about him and his powers, but I know the real Sa – "

"Enough already!" Sasori finally snaps, banging his glass on the table, spilling some of his wine. "You know why I've come, and it isn't to talk about this nonsense!"

"Right," Kisame looks back over towards Sasori, "sorry." Deidara notes how Kisame's demeanor changed in the presence of Sasori's anger – he was jovial a minute ago, but now he's serious and business like.

Kisame takes a look at the weapons laid out on the table, "these are nice, they'll definitely be a great addition to our armory."

"Great," Sasori says, allowing his temper to cool down a little, "Now, the spell book." Sasori reaches his hand forth, as if expecting Kisame to hand this book over just like that.

But there's a mischievous look in Kisame's eyes, "Ah yes, that spell book. My men went through quite some strife to get it, you know?"

"I'm sure they did. Do we have a deal? I'm giving you a wonderful gift of weapons here, most of these have magic placed upon them, the wielder will surely thank me for the protection spells." Sasori says, waving his arm over the plethora of weapons. Deidara stifles a gasp – he had no idea they were made with magic.

"Yes, it is a gracious gift, but I'm afraid it's not enough," Kisame says.

"What do you want?" Sasori asks, annoyed.

Kisame looks dead on at Deidara and licks his lips. Deidara feels a shiver run up his spine, and he feels quite uneasy under that stare of Kisame's. "I'd like a night alone with your servant here. You did pick quite a fine looking boy."

Deidara turns red and feels his heartbeat pick up with panic and fear. There's no way! This man is disgusting! Besides, Deidara is still a virgin! Will Sasori really 'trade' him in for this spell book? How important is this book to Sasori?

"No," Sasori states firmly. Deidara turns to look at Sasori, stunned and relieved.

"What do you mean 'no?'" Kisame asks, flabbergasted. "C'mon Sasori, let me have some fun. He's nothing like the common whore you can buy at any brothel."

"He isn't a whore and he isn't for sale," Sasori says, speaking with resolve.

"Bah, why don't we let the boy talk for himself! What do you say blondie? I can make you feel nice and cozy," Kisame says in an attempt at flirtation.

Deidara feels like he might be sick, "No thanks un."

"Hm, what happened to your manners boy? Why didn't you call me _sir?"_ Kisame asks, looking mad. He gets up out of his chair, and reaches for Deidara, pulling him up by his collar.

Before anything else can happen though, they hear a loud 'snap' from Sasori's direction, and Kisame pulls his hand back in alarm. "Argh!" Kisame cries. Deidara looks up to see that Kisame's hand is on fire!

Kisame pats it on the table, trying to put it out, "Stop it Sasori! Put this damn fire out!" His servant frantically grabs a cup of water and pours it on the fire, but it still doesn't go out.

"If you can't keep your hands to yourself, then perhaps you don't deserve hands," Sasori says, calm as a cucumber despite the chaos he's just caused, "Now, I'll ask again, do we have a deal?"

"You slimy cowardly bastard!" Kisame yells, still trying to put out the fire, anguish etched onto every corner of his face.

"I'll put that fire out once you agree to my terms," Sasori says calmly.

"Fine! Dammit!" Kisame yells out in pain. Sasori snaps his fingers again and the fire dissipates instantly, leaving behind a bleeding and burnt hand.

"Now, the book," Sasori reaches his hand out again, and this time, Kisame's servant hands over the book. Kisame huddles over in pain, cradling his hand and weeping.

"Damn you!" Kisame pounds his fist against the table. "Damn you and your dirty deals!"

"I'll take that as my cue to leave. Enjoy the weapons you rotten pervert," Sasori says, getting up.

"I thought we were friends! How dare you!" Kisame cries out as Sasori pushes the doors open again to leave. Deidara follows him closely, eager to get out of Kisame's sight.

"You should've known better," Sasori says, not turning back to look at Kisame, "I don't have friends."

…..

Once back at Sasori's castle, Deidara says, "thank you master."

"Thanks? For what?" Sasori asks, seeming clueless. He hands his coat to Deidara, who takes it, knowing that he'll have to probably spend the rest of the day doing laundry.

"For saving me from Kisame," Deidara explains.

"Listen," Sasori turns around and gets in Deidara's face – a tactic he often uses to intimidate Deidara. "I didn't do that for you. I just can't have my servant sleeping with other people, that will make things messy for me."

"Messy? How so?" Deidara wonders, clearly not seeing the 'big picture' here.

Sasori snarls, "Don't ever thank me again! I'm not here to please you!"

"Okay master," Deidara says, still caught under that insistent glare, but not scared at all of it.

"If you happened to fall for Kisame, then that would be troublesome. I don't want to deal with your broken heart. Besides, I don't sell people off to others, that's just bad business, and a filthy thing to do," Sasori explains before backing off.

"Okay master," Deidara says, trying to wrap his mind around this somewhat lame explanation. If he simply didn't want Deidara to have to deal with Kisame, he could have just said that. Would it kill him to be honest?

"Get going with the laundry, don't just stand there you brat!" Sasori yells.

"Yes, right away master," Deidara says, blinking out of his reverie and scurrying past Sasori.

….

"I'm thirsty, go and get some tea will you?" Sasori is seated at the head of the table in the dining room, nose buried in his new spell book. Deidara prepares the tea and grabs a platter with tea cups from one of the shelves in the room, selecting a few tiny delicate blue cups that he personally finds quite nice.

Deidara sets the tea platter on the table and is about to pour some tea into a cup for Sasori when he hears, "Oh jeez!" from the redhead, who must have read something shocking in his book. The sudden outburst startles Deidara, causing him to drop one of the tea cups to the floor.

Sasori hears the tinkle and looks up from his book, surprised. A flustered Deidara blushes and immediately bends down to pick it up, dreading the furious lecture he's about to receive from Sasori. He's slightly relieved to find that the cup isn't broken, just chipped, so he holds it out to Sasori and says, "I'm sorry un! It's just chipped on the side, you can barely see it."

Sasori stays still for a moment, book still propped open in his lap. He shrugs, and Deidara feels a wave of tension release through his body. "Well, it's just a cup," Sasori says, as if it's no big deal, "place it back on the tray and get another one. I have several of those blue ones."

Deidara almost can't believe that he isn't being yelled at right now. He quickly pours some tea out with shaking fingers and hands the cup to Sasori who takes a sip and says, "Mmm, very good. Now be off, I believe the attic needs tending to, it's filthy with dust up there."

Deidara nods and exits the room, the feeling of fear fading with each step. Is Sasori really a monster? Should people really be so fearful of him, and call him Sasori the Red? From what Deidara's experienced, Sasori has a temper, but he's never actually hurt Deidara in any way…and it seems that his anger lessens over time, as he gets to know someone. Or is Deidara putting too much thought in the matter? Perhaps he's simply getting used to Sasori, or maybe, he's starting to see a different layer of Sasori, something underneath that monstrous mask of his.


	5. Search for Kindness

It's high noon, the light is coming through the stained glass windows in colorful ribbons, illuminating the castle with the phosphorescent glow of early spring. Deidara has just finished mopping the floor, and he's admiring the view of the beautiful ballroom, and wondering why there even _is_ a ballroom if it never gets any use…

He's about to move on to the kitchen when he hears the thud of something crashing coming from a distant room in the castle. Startled, Deidara rushes towards the source, wondering if Sasori has come home early in a bad mood.

Instead of the redhead sorcerer though, Deidara finds himself face to face with a long-black haired male with sunken eyes and a worried expression, in the entrance of the castle. He broke through one of the smaller side windows to get in, Deidara can see the glass sparkling on the floor, and the man is covered with tiny shards.

"W-who the hell are you un!?" Deidara asks, backing up several feet, not sure what this man might to do him.

"I could ask you the same thing," the man replies, "I thought this was the elusive castle of Sasori the Red?"

"It is," Deidara says cautiously, trying to scope the room for a suitable weapon. If a fight ensues, he could always try to knock the man out with the marble bust on the side table by the door…but he might risk breaking a beautiful piece of art.

"I didn't think Sasori lived with anyone else," the man states, looking confused and worried.

"Well, then if you came here to rob him unawares, I'm sorry to disappoint you un! Now, please leave!" Deidara cries out, stepping back again as the man moves forward slightly.

"I can't do that," he says, shaking his head, "I need a very rare magical oil, one that I can only get here. You see, Sasori the Red has all possession of this item that I need."

"Then why don't you make a deal with him?" Deidara wonders, still suspicious of the man's intentions.

"I have nothing of value to trade. Maybe you'll understand me better than him, what's your name? Are you his servant?" the man inquires.

"I am," Deidara responds, careful not to give away too much information.

"I see, that makes sense," the man says, nodding his head, "then you'll know better than I how he does his deeds. He doesn't take pity on others, and he only asks for valuable items to barter with, things that will benefit himself. That's why I've come here, to find something that I need to cure my little brother, who is very sick, and possibly dying."

Deidara relaxes his muscles a bit, upon hearing this. But he still keeps his guard up, in case it's a lie, "Your brother is sick? What magical oil do you need?"

"It's called Damyr, and when mixed with the right medicinal herbs, it can be used to cure anyone of any illness," the man states, hope gleaming in his eyes. "I know you may not be willing to trust me, since I broke in here and you don't know me…but please, see it in your heart to help a poor man out. I am telling the truth. I'll even give you my name, it's Itachi."

"Itachi," Deidara repeats the words, as though saying it will make him believe in this man's story.

"Yes, and my brother is named Sasuke. He is very precious to me, I would do anything for him, so long as he lives," Itachi says, practically begging.

Deidara has seen that look before – that desperation, that longing – on many of the faces from his village. He knows that this Itachi is telling the truth, he can feel it in the core of his being. But it would be a big risk, stealing from Sasori behind his back…what would happen if Sasori found out? Is this the right thing to do? Even if Deidara goes through with it, he would feel horrible for lying to Sasori about what happened…

As if in answer to his turmoil, the front door whips open and a furious Sasori steps in, raising his hand into the air and sending Itachi flying across the room, until he bangs into the wall. "Trespasser! Who are you!? How dare you enter my castle!?"

"Sasori no!" Deidara cries out, shocked by Sasori's sudden appearance. Itachi is struggling against the wall, as though an invisible hand chokes him. He's turning purple, his eyes bulging as he gasps for breath.

Sasori turns to Deidara, not yet letting go of his magical grip on Itachi, "Did he hurt you?" Sasori bellows out, turning back to stare at Itachi with venom in his eyes.

"No un! Please let him go! Let him explain!" Deidara cries, rushing forward to stop Sasori from killing Itachi.

Before Deidara reaches Sasori though, he releases his magic and Itachi tumbles to the ground, choking and gasping to let air into his lungs. "Now, speak!" Sasori demands, walking forward to the crumpled Itachi on the floor.

"Please, let him breathe," Deidara begs, in tow behind Sasori.

Sasori whips around to look at Deidara incredulously, "Why are you defending him!? He broke into my castle while you were here! He could've hurt you! He probably has the intention to steal something of mine! He's a good for nothing crook!"

Deidara winces slightly at the wrathful energy emanating from Sasori, but he stands his ground, "I was talking to him before you came in. He just needs something called Damyr oil, his brother Sasuke is really sick un!"

Sasori blinks at Deidara, then looks down at Itachi, who has finally caught his breath, and nods. Sasori throws his head back and gives a maniacal sort of laugh. "You think I'll give you that precious oil for your brother!? You must be crazy!"

"See what I told you?" Itachi looks at Deidara with sadness.

"Hey, why can't you give him any?" Deidara asks Sasori, his own anger surging slightly.

"Preposterous. I don't do deals with beggars, he has nothing to offer me. Besides, he broke in to my castle and broke my perfectly good window. If anything, I should be punishing him. How does cutting off a few toes sound to you, young man? That way, you won't ever be able to climb up this mountain again!" Sasori roars. He's so angry, his very eyes seem to turn red with hatred.

But Deidara can't allow this to happen. There's no way he's going to sit by idly as Sasori chops off the toes of this poor, helpless man! Deidara dares to be bold, and he reaches for Sasori's arm, grasping it in an effort to stop him from releasing any magic, "Please Sasori! Don't do it!" he cries, knowing that he's now the one begging. He steps forward between Sasori and Itachi, acting as a barrier, still gripping onto Sasori's arm, taking Sasori's hand in his own.

Sasori looks at him with astonishment. He seems rooted on the spot in surprise at Deidara's daring actions. Deidara can slowly see the hatred washing away from Sasori's pupils. "Please, can't we just give him what he needs and let him be? He had no other choice, he's poor and has nothing to offer you in return."

"So you suggest I just give him some of my precious Damyr oil? For free?!" Sasori asks, enraged.

"I'll make it up to you un!" Deidara offers, "I can double down on my cleaning duties, and I can even fix the window he broke!"

Sasori's eyes widen slightly, and he looks genuinely confused now, "Why would you do that for this mere stranger here? Are you stupid or something?"

"No," Deidara denies. But perhaps he isn't the brightest, putting himself in this position. "I just- I just know he's telling the truth un."

Sasori laughs again, "You know that? How? For all we know, he wants to use this oil to make a profit!"

"That's not what he needs it for un!" Deidara says, "Please, find it in your heart, find the kindness to help him!"

"You think I have any shred of kindness in my heart?" Sasori's eyes grow cold again, as though this was an insult from Deidara. He shoves Deidara aside, and grabs Itachi by his shirt, pulling him up forcefully. "Listen you mongrel," Sasori growls, "If I ever catch you in my castle again, I'll do a lot worse than cut of your toes. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind."

Itachi nods in understanding and scurries away, fast, exiting the door with one last aching sigh. Deidara feels sorry for him, knowing that his brother may die from this illness. But, Sasori didn't punish him at all – he simply let him off with a warning.

"You," Sasori rounds on Deidara, now that Itachi has left. "Clean this mess up, I'll get a new window pane tomorrow. I don't want to hear another word from you about kindness either! You're still a fool if you think I even have a heart. I simply let him off easy so that you would stop your whining, got it?"

"Yes, I got it," Deidara says, nodding, wishing he could voice his gratitude to Sasori for letting the poor man go without hurting him.

Sasori stares fiercely at Deidara for a moment, as though he's studying him, trying to figure out something about him – Sasori's never given him such an intense look before, and Deidara feels his cheeks heat up. But before either can say anything, Sasori turns on his heel and heads up the staircase, towards his room, "I've had a long day, don't bother me. I want to be left alone for a while."

"Okay master," Deidara says, acknowledging his request to be left alone. Deidara watches his figure disappear into his bedroom, and then Deidara gets moving.

After cleaning around the castle for so long, Deidara knows where Sasori keeps his magical items – they're in a neat cupboard by the kitchen. The cupboard is full of potions and magical ingredients of all kinds. Deidara is only allowed to dust the outside of the cupboard, Sasori forbade him from touching any of its contents, lest he mistakenly drop something or harm himself by interacting with the magic. Sasori warned him that magic can be very dangerous when handled incorrectly.

Yet, luckily for Deidara, Sasori keeps all the contents of his cupboard labeled and neat. It's easy for him to scope through and find the label for Damyr oil – it's a tiny bottle filled with midnight purple oil. Deidara takes the bottle and then finds a smaller vial to fill. He carefully unstops the bottle and pours a small amount into the vial, trying his best not to get the oil on anything other than in the vial itself. Once he's done so, he places the bottle back in the cupboard, exactly as he found it, and then closes the vial with a small lid. While closing the vial, a tiny drop of the oil splashes onto his thumb, but Deidara doesn't think about it – he's eager to get outside fast to catch up with Itachi.

Deidara sneaks out the front door of the castle, and spots Itachi sitting at the edge of the mountain, looking forlorn. Thank goodness he hasn't left yet!

"Itachi!" Deidara runs up to him, the vial of Damyr oil outstretched.

Itachi's eyes light up, "Ah! Is that the oil?"

Deidara nods, and Itachi beams, "Oh thank you thank you um-"

"Deidara."

"Deidara," Itachi smiles warmly, taking Deidara's hand and shaking it in gratitude, "thank you so much, really. I know you're taking a big risk, doing this behind your master's back."

"I couldn't live with myself if I knew you'd left here without this un," Deidara admits.

"You are truly wonderful. Perhaps someday I will send someone up here to rescue you from that monster," Itachi says, in all seriousness.

"Oh haha," Deidara shuffles his feet awkwardly, "he isn't so bad, once you learn how to deal with his upswings in anger."

Itachi looks at Deidara gravely, "don't fall under his ploy, that man can never love you back."

Deidara startles, and blushes fiercely, "love me back!? What? It's not like I even love him! Why would you say such a thing?"

Itachi simply gives Deidara a squeeze on the shoulder before saying, "Just remember that his heart has been turned over towards the darkness of anger long ago." Then Itachi turns around and begins his trek down the mountain, hopping skillfully from one ridged stone to the next.

Deidara ponders that statement – Sasori has given his heart over to the darkness of anger…what does Itachi mean by that? What does he know of Sasori's past that Deidara doesn't?

Deidara walks back into the castle, hurrying to clean the glass on the floor before Sasori finds out that he's disobeying his orders.

….

"You BRAT!" it's several hours later, Itachi is long gone down the mountain by now, and Deidara hears Sasori yell out in a rage from the kitchen.

Deidara already knows why he's mad – he's obviously discovered that there's less Damyr oil in his bottle than before.

Deidara cowers on his bed for a minute, pretending like he didn't hear Sasori's enraged cry. He's been trying to take care of a tiny wound on his thumb where the Damyr oil splattered on him. The area is red and swollen and stinging like hell, and Deidara has no idea how to remedy it. He's been too afraid to ask for Sasori's help, since revealing his wound would expose the fact that he helped Itachi.

But Sasori's already figured it out for himself it would seem, something that Deidara expected would happen.

He curls himself in a ball on his bed, hoping that Sasori will just let this go. But of course, that isn't the case.

Sasori bursts into Deidara's room furiously, holding a bow and arrow. "Ah!" Deidara yells, scared that Sasori is going to shoot him.

"Brat, I wouldn't waste one of these magnificently carved arrows on you," Sasori states, getting that absurd notion out of Deidara's head. "This is for that man you gave my Damyr oil to. Now come with me."

"Wh-what? Where are we going?" Deidara splutters, forgetting for a moment the throbbing pain in his thumb.

"You'll see," Sasori says darkly, holding a hand out for Deidara to take. Deidara gets up from his bed, taking Sasori's hand guardedly. Sasori leads him out of the castle and then pulls up towards the sky, flying them down the length of the mountainside and towards a tiny village that rests near the foot of the mountain.

Deidara has no time to admire the view from his flight this time, as he is anxiously awaiting to see what Sasori will do. They land in a thicket of tree and brush, and Sasori walks Deidara forward, towards the traveler's road.

They remain hidden behind bushes as they slowly walk, Sasori walking with steadfast determination, searching everywhere until he finds what he's looking for – Itachi is resting on a rock, holding the vial of Damyr oil in his hand, inspecting the contents. There's a covered cart near him, tied to a patiently waiting horse.

"There," Sasori whispers, "watch closely, and let's see what he decides to do with that sample of oil you gave him. I bet you he's going to that nearby village to sell it, or maybe to use it for his own purpose."

"Hm, okay," Deidara whispers back, "I already know what he's going to do with it though. He's going to use it to cure his ailing brother."

"We shall see," Sasori states.

The two of them watch closely, staying quiet, as Itachi takes a few things out from his pack. He grabs a mortar and pestle, some strange looking herbs that Deidara's never seen before, and a bottle of water. He gets to work on crushing the herbs with the pestle, grinding them to a pulpy substance in his little bowl. "Look, he's making a medicine," Deidara points out.

"We don't know that yet. That herb can be used to also make poison," Sasori replies, as stubborn as ever.

Sasori pulls out an arrow and prepares his bow, aiming the arrow at Itachi. Deidara is shocked, "What are you doing un!?"

"I'm preparing my arrow, what does it look like?" Sasori asks back snidely.

"Why?"

"If that is indeed a poison, it would be best to snuff out this traitorous vagabond here than to let him give it out to anyone," Sasori says.

"Wait, no," Deidara pulls on Sasori's shirt, pleading once more with him, "please wait to see what he's making before you do something so rash!"

Sasori doesn't say anything, but he doesn't release his arrow yet either. They watch in a tense silence as Itachi mixes the herbs with the Damyr oil and some water, stirring it all together carefully. Once his mixture is prepared, he pours it in an empty bottle and then turns to the cart next to him. He opens a flap of the cart and lifts something out of it.

Deidara and Sasori watch as Itachi emerges with a sickly looking boy in his arms. He rests the boy on the ground gently, and then speaks to him in a low whisper, and neither Sasori nor Deidara can hear what he says. He then parts the boy's lips and pours the mixture he concocted into his mouth, slowly and carefully. The boy's eyes open as he drinks the liquid – his skin is so pale and he's so fragile looking, Deidara can only hope that this medicine will work.

After a few minutes, the boy's skin color turns more natural and he sits up against the rock, his movements returning to him. Itachi is overcome with joy, and he hugs his little brother tight, who smiles warmly. The entire scene causes Deidara to tear up – so he did the right thing after all, in giving the Damyr oil to Itachi.

Sasori still has his bow pointed at Itachi though, a fact that does not go unnoticed to Deidara. "Why do you still aim that at him? It was clear he made medicine with the oil."

"Yes," Sasori agrees, "but he still stole from me. How can I be certain he won't come back to my castle to take from me again? Especially now that he knows you're there…"

"No Sasori please! He just rescued his brother, he won't come back, he'll heed your warning from earlier, I know it!" Deidara says, standing in front of Sasori.

Sasori sighs in annoyance, and lowers his bow and arrow. Deidara, overwhelmed with gratefulness towards Sasori for doing the right thing, reaches out and hugs him. "Oh Sasori, I knew you could do the right thing! I knew your heart wasn't made of stone."

Sasori wears a perplexed expression, being hugged from Deidara took him off guard. "Yeah," is all he can say, as he shrugs the blonde off of him, "I'm not being kind though, I just don't want to waste an arrow on him. It's not necessary to kill him."

Deidara smiles at Sasori, feeling an urge to hug him again, or perhaps hold his hand. But he resists these urges.

His thumb starts to sting again, and Deidara can't ignore the pain this time, "ouch." He holds up his thumb and bites his bottom lip, unsure what to do. His thumb is red and sore, there's a big blister on the top.

"Brat, did you happen to touch the Damyr oil when you poured it into that vial?" Sasori asks, looking worried.

"I was careful, but somehow a tiny bit got on my thumb. It's been hurting all day," Deidara admits, trying to hold back tears.

Sasori holds Deidara's wrist with one hand, and waves his other hand over Deidara's wound. Magic radiates from the tips of his fingers, healing Deidara's thumb. The swollen blister reduces in size until it's no longer present, and the stinging goes away. Deidara watches in awe at Sasori's healing powers – he never knew Sasori could heal wounds like that!

"Wow un! Thank you!" Deidara cries out, moving his thumb around in disbelief that the throbbing pain is finally gone.

"Next time, listen to my rules. Don't ever touch anything in that cupboard again, do you understand?" Sasori asks sternly.

"Yes master," Deidara says. "And thanks again."

Sasori turns and leads Deidara out of the forest, and doesn't say anything. But Deidara knows that he witnessed something special today – Sasori's cold heart is changing, and warming up slowly. He let Itachi go without a scratch and healed Deidara's wound without hesitation. Deidara is intrigued by today – it triggers his interest in the man before him. He wants to know more about Sasori now than ever before. What was Sasori's past like? What led him to live alone in a castle and to hate the world, making deals with others for his own gain? Where did he learn sorcery from?

Above all else, why has he put up defenses around his heart, and turned to anger instead?


	6. Another Deal

Deidara often gets bored when Sasori is away for long lengths. He's sitting in Sasori's lavish garden, playing with some clay, trying to recreate an intricate vase from his art book. Yet, his heart isn't really into it – he's tired of creating art that no one can see. When he was younger, Kuro would often comment on his amazing pieces and would help him smash up the dirt or clay so that his father wouldn't see.

He shakes his head, trying not to dawdle on the matter – if he starts to think about Kuro and his family, then it'll only leave him feeling depressed. He has to learn to move on from those thoughts. But it's like trying to wipe off molasses from a spoon with nothing but a thin napkin – no matter how hard he tries to get the thought out of his head, it sticks to him, like residue. They'll always be there at the back of his mind, for the rest of his life.

He sighs, he's about to crush his clay vase when he hears a tiny throat clear behind him. Startled, Deidara turns around and yelps. How long has Sasori been standing there?!

"Oh um master!" Deidara manages to choke out in a high pitch, "I was only taking a break for a minute! I've already watered the plants, so I'm almost done to tending to the garden."

Sasori doesn't look angry though – in fact, he looks far from it. He's studying Deidara's clay vase figurine with intensity, admiring the attention to detail and comparing it with the image in the book. "You did a great job," Sasori compliments, "I didn't know you were artistically inclined."

"Oh, um, well, I never really had anyone teach me…I just used to like to play around in the mud when I was little un," Deidara admits, blushing furiously. He must sound pretty pathetic.

"I bet if you had a proper instructor, your skills would improve immensely. Why haven't you told me before that you're interested in art? And where did this art book come from?" Sasori inquires, although not angrily.

"Oh, I brought that from home. It's the reason I had to go back to my parent's house, it's precious to me. I love to read, and I love art," Deidara says.

"Interesting," Sasori notes, taking the book carefully and looking through the pages. "Well, I'm sure you've read the entire thing by now, right?"

"Yes un, I just look through it sometimes to admire the pictures now. But I've already read through it twice," Deidara admits.

"And you were bored out here, weren't you? So you decided to sculpt one of your favorite artworks from the book?" Sasori asks. Deidara is surprised by all these questions – Sasori _never_ asks him about anything.

"Yes un. I finished my chores a little early, so I thought I'd have time to relax before you came back," Deidara says, hoping that he won't incise Sasori with his 'slacking off' on the job.

"I see. Well," Sasori clears his throat again and looks Deidara straight on with seriousness, "If you'd ever like to learn a thing or two about art, I can teach you. I've been crafting weapons and puppets for as long as I can remember."

"Really?!" Deidara can't believe it. He isn't sure if he's interested in making wood figures, but he's eager and excited to learn nonetheless. Besides, it may give him more opportunity to get to know Sasori, and find out about his past.

"Sure," Sasori says, "Just, not today, if that's alright. It's been a long, fruitless day."

"Where did you go?" Deidara asks, forgetting for a moment that this question is forbidden. He quickly realizes his mistake, "Oh, I didn't mean to intrude master!"

"It's quite alright," Sasori says, again, not letting his temper rise, "I was looking for something, a rare ingredient I need for my potion."

"You're making a potion?" Deidara had speculated as much – over the past week or so, Sasori's been going out often, and returning with small parcels of random ingredients that he's been adding to his magical cupboard. He hasn't said anything about the items, but Deidara suspected that it all had something to do with that spell book he's been spending all his waking time looking over.

"Yes," is Sasori's simple reply. He doesn't elaborate, and doesn't invite Deidara to inquire further. He closes the conversation by saying, "I am going back in, but take your time here if you'd like. The interior of the castle looks spotless, I'd say you deserve an afternoon off."

"Thank you master!" Deidara says, watching the redhead saunter away from him, waving a hand lazily in acknowledgment.

….

It's already been six months since Deidara left his home – he's gotten used to his new routine in the castle, and he's no longer fearful of Sasori. As promised, Sasori began teaching him about art, although Deidara hasn't had a chance to ask about the redhead's past just yet. The information Sasori passes to him is quite useful though – he learns how to carve simple figures from wood, and different techniques of molding clay. Sasori gives him proper clay, and even created a makeshift pottery wheel for Deidara to use. Sasori also gives him simple drawing instructions, and relayed that he often sketches out his pieces before carving them. Deidara finds this technique useful, and his mind often wanders off to someday selling his art to others – he aspires to make pottery and vases that people can admire. He's been practicing different designs in his sketchpad, ones that would make any regular ceramic piece look extraordinary.

But it's all just fantasy, a dream that can never come to fruition. Deidara must not have these thoughts about a future selling art, for he is bound to Sasori for forever. It was fine thinking these thoughts back in his hometown, because there was at least a sliver, however small, of hope that he could move on and live the life he wanted. But now – now all Deidara can see in his future is Sasori's castle, and himself cleaning every corner imaginable until death.

The thought is unpleasant, but it isn't overly depressing either. For one thing, Deidara knows that he'll have Sasori to keep him company. It was often very lonely for Deidara when he first came to the castle, but Sasori has been opening up slowly each day, becoming gentler with his words and offering up more details about himself. The castle isn't so lonely anymore, with Sasori giving him art lessons. Deidara hopes that he and Sasori can someday get along as good friends, and that maybe, just maybe, Sasori can learn to open his heart out to others around him.

Deidara tries to establish a bond sometimes, although he's careful with how he pries out information from his stubborn headed master. Deidara is feeling bold today, and so as Sasori instructs him on the proper symmetrical positioning of the clay on the pottery wheel, Deidara poses, "how is your potion coming along master? Do you have all the ingredients necessary yet?"

Sasori keeps his attention on the wheel, shaping the clay upwards into a long cylinder. Deidara thinks for a minute that Sasori is going to ignore his question, as he often does when he simply doesn't want to answer, but then Sasori finally responds, "It's a difficult one to brew, it takes time. I still need one or two more elements to add to it, and then I have to hope that my magic skills are up to par to concoct it correctly."

"You need to be magical to make a potion? Any lay person can't just throw the ingredients together?" Deidara wonders. He has no prior knowledge to many things magical – he always thought that the rumors about magic were simply that, rumors.

"Yes," Sasori looks up at Deidara and stops the wheel from spinning, "I take it you're not interested in learning about pottery at the moment?"

"Oh," Deidara blushes, "I was just curious. I don't know anything about magic un."

"Yes, I thought as much. Well, you have to be born with magic, it isn't something that you can acquire in a lifetime. I was lucky enough to be born with such an ability, as it is very rare," Sasori explains, boasting a little.

"How many others are there with magic?"

"Not many, and we are all scattered throughout the world. Some people with magic try to hide, as there are many of the opinion that we should be eradicated – people fear our use of magic, and they believe sorcerers to be evil people, who use their magical abilities to seek power over others. That may have been true at one point in the past, but currently, I don't know of any sorcerer who rules over any people," Sasori explains.

Deidara nods, taking all this information in. "So, why was Itachi able to use the Damyr oil to make his medicine if he isn't magic?"

"He added the ingredient to other non-magical ingredients, just simple herbs. He wasn't making a potion, a potion requires the maker to be magic as it needs magical infusion to brew," Sasori clarifies.

"Ah, okay, I think I understand hm. So…shouldn't it be easy for you to concoct a potion with your magical ability? Have you made one before?"

"I have," Sasori says slowly, chewing over his words before speaking, "but this one is different. I can't afford to mess it up."

"What kind of potion are you mak – ?"

"I think that's enough questions for now, don't you agree?" Sasori snaps back, suddenly a little annoyed. "What I do with this potion is still none of your concern. You wanted to know a bit about the history of magic, and so I told you."

"Oh, okay master," Deidara says, still unsatisfied – if anything, he's even more curious about sorcerers now than before.

"Now, back to this," Sasori indicates the half formed clay on the pottery wheel, "you try and I'll watch. No more chatting, focus." It's Sasori's way of ending the conversation, of telling Deidara that he's no longer in the mood for inquisitions. So Deidara follows Sasori's instructions as best as he can, thinking that he'll have to wait for another opportunity to delve deeper and learn more about Sasori.

….

Deidara tugs on the curtains insistently, trying to get them off. It's summertime, and the ballroom could definitely use some light, but for some odd reason, Sasori has covered all the massive windows with long, thick curtains. Deidara is standing on a ladder, pulling on the fringe, making a few grunting noises in the process.

Sasori is seated at a table by the wall, working on carving a new bow. He stares up at Deidara, perplexed, "What on earth are you doing?"

"Trying to take down these curtains," Deidara answers, "It's summer, we should let some light in here."

Sasori gets up from his chair and meanders over towards the ladder, looking up at Deidara with a curious expression. "Those won't be easy to take down," he notes.

"Yeah, I see that un! What did you do, nail them down?" Deidara asks jokingly.

"Yes," Sasori responds, in all seriousness.

Deidara is about to reply, about to mention how ridiculous that is, when he finally gets it! The curtain tears off the wall in an instant, and the backlash sends Deidara falling off the ladder, surely to hit the ground several feet below.

To his surprise, he lands safely in Sasori's outstretched arms instead. He feels winded, after losing his footing and falling several feet. He stares up at Sasori, dazed and speechless. He's never looked up at his face this close before – he can see the detail of his hazel eyes and his pale, smooth skin. His hair is surely a sight to behold – that scarlet reminds Deidara of a juicy, tantalizing apple, and he's struck with a desire to bury his face in that hair and smell it.

But Deidara does no such thing – he wouldn't dare. All he can do is stare agape into Sasori's unblinking eyes – eyes that are full of concern for Deidara, but also full of apprehension.

Sasori clears his throat awkwardly and sets Deidara down, backing away several feet. Deidara was only held by Sasori for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity to him. For some reason, his heart is racing fast and his palms are feeling clammy. He keeps staring at Sasori, who's cheeks are turning pink.

Sasori mumbles, "I guess you're right brat. The room looks a bit better with the sunlight." He then turns and stumbles back to his work desk in the corner of the room.

Deidara takes a minute to breathe in deeply, trying to calm his nerves. What caused that rush of exhilaration that he just experienced? Was it simply from being held in Sasori's arms? His arms were protective, and warm…Deidara truly felt safe, even for those few seconds, in Sasori's embrace.

Deidara shakes his head, and tries to shrug that feeling off. He can't fall for his master, that type of romance is strictly forbidden! It's true that he has an interest in getting to know the redhead, but he'd like to keep it just at that. He can't imagine how Sasori would react if he knew that his servant boy has a crush on him…

But no! Deidara tells himself – this is not a crush! He simply got flustered for a moment there, anyone would in that awkward situation.

There's no way Deidara is falling for Sasori.

…..

"Argh!" Sasori's angry cry can be heard from all corners of that castle that evening, and it startles Deidara from his daydreaming in his room. "Curses!"

Deidara knows that it's usually best to leave Sasori alone when he's in a fit of rage like this, but curiosity piques his interest. He steps out into the hallway slowly and makes his way down the stairwell, hoping to get a glimpse of his master.

He spots the redhead fuming over his potion, with his spell book out and open on the table. Sasori bangs a fist on the table and yells, "Why won't this work?!"

Deidara tiptoes down the stairs to get a better look, and Sasori turns his head in a flash, staring daggers at Deidara. Deidara freezes on the spot, too terrified to move – he's held captive under that monstrous, rampant appearance. "What are you doing!? Think it's funny to take a peek at the angry, the one and only, Sasori the Red!?"

"No un," Deidara shakes his head. "I don't think this is funny at all." And he means that – his heart goes out for Sasori, who's clearly extremely frustrated.

"My magic has been weakening over the years, and I don't understand why!" Sasori hollers out, banging another fist on the table. He buries his head in his hands, and his body shakes violently. Is he actually crying?

Deidara walks down the length of the stairs, compelled to comfort this man in some way. He reaches up to Sasori and pats his back gently, hoping that this might soothe him. But Sasori slaps his hand away, and looks up at Deidara through wet eyes, "Get away from me! You'll never understand how it feels to lose magic! Magic is the only thing I have in this world!"

Deidara feels pained by these words – pain for Sasori and also heartache for himself. Perhaps he'll never understand what it's like to have magic, but that doesn't mean he can't help Sasori. Why is Sasori so insistent on pushing him away?

"Sasori…if you just let me listen, then perhaps you'll feel better," Deidara offers.

A mocking, crazed laugher escapes Sasori's lips. He looks on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "Listen?! You want me to sit here and talk about my feelings!?" Sasori shrieks in a high pitch unlike his own voice – he must surely be going a little mad at this point.

"Yes," Deidara states simply.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I don't talk about my feelings! Haven't you heard from the townspeople? I don't have feelings! I don't even have a heart they say!" Sasori yells, tears still steadily leaking forth.

Deidara bites his bottom lip, truly feeling for the man before him, finally starting to understand some of his insecurities. "I don't believe a word of that. None of that is true un," Deidara says.

"Then you're a fool," Sasori says, wiping his eyes and storming off suddenly. Deidara tries to follow him, but Sasori snaps his fingers, rooting Deidara on the spot. "Leave me alone!" he cries out, running up the stairs and slamming the door to his room before releasing his magical hold on Deidara.

…

Deidara goes outside to take a walk in the cool breeze and think properly. He just witnessed a massive temper tantrum of Sasori's – and he learned a few crucial details about the man in the process. Sasori puts on a front of being heartless and angry all the time, but he actually cares what other people think of him. So why does he act that way around others? If he wants to be revered and loved, then why has he put up a wall? And why is it that his magical powers are depleting? Is magic somehow tied to a person's thoughts or feelings about themselves?

Deidara truly has no idea, and he'll never find out by just pondering it over by himself. If only Sasori had the courage to open up to Deidara and let him in, then surely he would feel better. If he could trust in one person, could invest in a true friendship, then perhaps he'd be able to find out how to restore his magic to what it once was.

Deidara reflects on everything in his mind's eye, seeing the image of Sasori crying, and realizing how much his heart aches for him. He's so preoccupied with these thoughts, that he doesn't hear anything rustling around in the bushes until it's too late.

A burlap sack is placed over Deidara's head, and he screams out for help, kicking and thrashing. Someone holds his wrists and twists them behind his back, tying them together. He continues to scream and shout for help, until he feels a blunt object collide with his face, subsequently silencing him as he drifts into a state of unconsciousness.

And then everything turns black.

….

"Ouch!" Deidara cries out in pain as the burlap sack is taken off his head, which is throbbing uncomfortably. He blinks and takes a look at his captors – he doesn't recognize the menacing men before him at all. What did he possibly do to deserve this? He's tied up to a tree, unable to move a muscle.

There are two men standing there, one with white, slicked back hair and an almost skeletal appearance. The other man stands behind him, with a brooding, sour look slapped across his face. His hair is long and dark, and his skin is tanned – or at least, as much as Deidara can tell in the darkness of the night. Both of them are staring at Deidara with fierceness, but neither make a move towards him.

"What the hell un!?" Deidara asks, squirming in the ropes that bind him to the tree. "what is this?"

"Quiet servant! If that redhead values your life, then you have nothing to fear," the man with the white hair says.

"What do you want with Sasori?" Deidara asks, tugging his arms in a futile attempt to break free.

"That's what I'd like to know too," a familiar voice calls out from beyond the two men, full of fury.

"Sasori!" Deidara cries out with relief, watching as the redhead emerges from the forest, the very air around him stirring with his furious and powerful aura.

"Let my servant boy go Hidan," Sasori demands.

The man with white hair chuckles, "I've never seen you so bothered before by a mere peasant. So I guess Kisame was right, you do have feelings for this blonde then."

"Argh!" Sasori throws out his hands and a wave of energy knocks Hidan back several feet, until he comes crashing hard into a tree.

Hidan gets up quickly however and snaps his fingers, and for a moment, Deidara wonders if he too is a sorcerer. But that isn't the case – he's called out five hungry, foaming at the mouth bloodhounds, with red eyes dangerously directed towards Sasori. The hounds pounce all at once, circling over Sasori and then biting and clawing at him, all trying to get at his flesh.

"Sasori! No!" Deidara calls out, struggling madly against the tight ropes.

Sasori throws his arms out, and once more, a blast of magical energy throws his enemies away. The hounds are all tossed back, before Sasori could sustain any fatal damages. But Deidara spots blood dripping down his right arm – it looks like one of them got a decent scratch on him before they were thrown off.

"Now," Hidan says, calmly, "I think a proper conversation would be less damaging to both of us." The hounds get up and circle Sasori, baring their teeth menacingly but not yet pouncing.

"Just what the hell do you want?" Sasori asks, clutching at his bleeding arm.

"I heard from Kisame that you aren't in the business of doing fair trades any longer," Hidan spits forth.

Sasori's temple pulses, "what he wanted wasn't a fair trade, it was petty selfishness."

Hidan shakes his head as if in exasperation, "Really now, what value does this boy have to you? But anyways, I digress. I would like your Lyamar flower." Deidara stares with disbelief at Hidan – he kidnapped him for a _flower?_

"No," Sasori states firmly. Deidara must be missing something here – this flower must have powerful magic.

Hidan throws his head back and laughs, and the man next to him steps forward, "You have the only one in possession, and we both know you'd never trade it for any good."

"Hello Kakuzu, I thought that was you," Sasori greets, "do you have any idea what it took for me to get that damned flower?"

"I'm sure you made quite the journey," Hidan says after his fit of maniacal laughter, "Now, hand it over."

"There's no way," Sasori states again.

"Alright, have it your way then," Hidan shrugs, looking unbothered. He snaps his fingers, and the hounds begin to move again, but this time, they don't lunge after Sasori.

The five vicious bloodhounds are strolling towards Deidara, who is still tied helplessly to the tree. Their teeth are sharp razors, and their claws are knives – one swipe or bite and Deidara could suffer enough blood loss to die here in this forest.

The hounds get closer to Deidara, their pace quickening until they're merely inches away, he can smell their hot dirty breath and he closes his eyes, heart stuck in his throat –

"Stop!" Sasori cries out in a panic, and Hidan snaps his fingers. Deidara opens his eyes to see the hounds staring at him, but not moving a muscle.

Sasori, clearly annoyed and enraged, twists his fingers and snaps, summoning the flower from his castle with magic. A golden flower appears in his hand, delicate and beautiful.

Hidan smiles crookedly as he grabs the Lyamar flower from Sasori, and Kakuzu cuts Deidara free.

"Here you are, your precious servant boy, back in one piece," Hidan teases, pushing Deidara harshly onto Sasori. Sasori catches Deidara, wincing slightly at the pain in his arm.

Deidara gets up hurriedly, and they both watch as Hidan and Kakuzu vanish into the thick woods, escaping quickly into the night.

Deidara looks cautiously over at Sasori, who wears a mixed expression of anger, worry and defeat. Sasori doesn't say a word – he grabs Deidara's hand in his own and soars up into the air, leading them out of the forest and back to his castle in the mountain. Deidara knows better than to speak just yet – he'll let Sasori ruminate over his thoughts for now, and give him time to process everything. He knows that Sasori needs a moment of quiet right now – Deidara, too, needs some silence to manage his own feelings.

…

Once back in the castle, Deidara can't ignore Sasori's wound, he has to acknowledge it. Sasori grasps at his arm and grunts, and Deidara says, "Can I take a look?"

"Get away," Sasori huffs, turning his back to Deidara defiantly.

"Why haven't you healed it with your magic yet?" Deidara wonders.

"I-I've used up a lot of energy, with forcing Hidan and the bloody dogs back, and then flying us back here…" he lets his voice drift off into the air uncomfortably, reminding them both of the argument from earlier.

Deidara chooses not to dwell on that matter for now though, Sasori is hurt and he needs to help him. "Well, I'll clean it up then. Please let me so that it doesn't get infected un," he practically begs, walking around Sasori to face him.

Sasori sighs, exasperated and despondent, "fine, if you must."

"Thank you," Deidara says, feeling a sense of relief that he didn't lash out again. "Sit here and I'll grab some towels and alcohol."

Sasori does as Deidara says, which is really quite a miracle. He sits patiently in a chair as Deidara gathers together some quick first aid materials.

Deidara wets a towel with warm water and then looks up at Sasori's arm, noting that it's still bleeding. "May I?" Deidara asks, indicating Sasori's sleeve.

"Get it over with already," Sasori grumbles. Deidara pulls Sasori's sleeve up, revealing a large, deep cut from one of the hounds' paws. Deidara starts by wiping the blood off with a wet towel, trying his best to clean the area around the wound. Sasori sits still and doesn't wince or make any noises, yet.

"Okay, this might sting a little un," Deidara warns, as he soaks the towel in some alcohol. Sasori nods begrudgingly, and Deidara continues, placing the towel right on the wound.

"Ow!" Sasori cries out and thrashes his arm back, "what the hell are you doing to me!?"

"I'm cleaning the wound!" Deidara says, rolling his eyes, "I told you it might sting."

Sasori grumbles once more but allows Deidara to continue his work. Sasori winces and grunts as Deidara scrapes the towel along the wound, making sure to get rid of all the bacteria. "Jeez, do you peasants always have to fix wounds like this?" he asks, biting on his lower lip in pain.

"Yes," Deidara responds, trying not to get annoyed by the word peasant, "I grew up poor, as you know, and this is the proper way to clean any scrape or wound un. It stings, but the alcohol will make sure that you don't get an infection. Were you always able to heal your own wounds with magic?"

"Before I learned how, there was someone else that would heal any of my cuts with magic," Sasori says, relaxing as Deidara binds the injury with bandages.

"Someone else?" Deidara asks, trying to keep the conversation casual.

"A sorceress. She taught me all I know about magic," Sasori explains, not giving too much detail.

"Does this sorceress still…?" Deidara isn't sure how to ask if she's still alive without being insensitive.

"She's still living, yes," Sasori responds, understanding what Deidara was getting at. "Are you finished with that?"

Deidara nods, "it may take some time to heal, and I'll have to change the bandages in a few hours."

"Thank you," Sasori states, causing Deidara's heart to flutter.

"I should be the one thanking you," Deidara says, "you saved my life."

"I can't have my only servant dying on me, now can I?" Sasori says.

"Still…I really am grateful," Deidara admits, looking Sasori in the eye to convey his sentiment. Sasori blinks and averts his eyes quickly, embarrassed to look Deidara back.

"Hidan and Kakuzu will pay for this," Sasori mutters.

"Why did they want that flower so badly? What's so special about it un?" Deidara asks, studying Sasori's facial reactions closely.

"The Lyamar flower has magical properties. When used correctly, it can restore memories that were forgotten or lost," Sasori says, looking off into the distance with a blank stare.

"Restore memory? Do they know someone who's forgotten something?" Deidara wonders.

"No, Hidan and Kakuzu specialize in finding rare items that they can sell for a pretty penny. They'll take that flower to another sorcerer, and trade it for a tall price. All they care about is money," Sasori grits his teeth as he says this, as though the thought is unbearable to him. "that flower was the main ingredient for the potion I'm brewing, and now I'll have to find another one."

This information astounds Deidara, "so, you gave up the main ingredient for the potion you've been working on for weeks, just to save me?"

Sasori turns his face towards Deidara's slowly, scrutinizing him with his distrustful eyes. Although his actions show that he has affections for Deidara, he still doesn't have the courage to say this out loud. And so, Sasori denies his heart's wishes once more, "Like I said, it would be problematic if you died, and I can get another flower…it's just troublesome."

"Is this flower difficult to find?" Deidara inquires.

"You sure do ask a lot of questions," Sasori murmurs. But he answers anyways, "the Lyamar flower only sprouts on a full moon, on the top of an icy mountain far north from here. It will be a treacherous three day journey here and back for me to attain another one."

"It's dangerous? Can I come with you?" Deidara wonders.

Sasori analyzes Deidara carefully, as if seeing him for the first time, "Why would you want to come with me? Like I said, it's dangerous – there are wolves in the mountains and bears in the forests, not to mention the thieves and beggars."

"But I'll be lonely here without you," Deidara admits, his cheeks dusted with a tinge of pink.

Sasori blinks a few times, batting his eyelashes and causing Deidara's stomach to do a back flip. "You'll be safer here," Sasori tells him as he gets up from his chair. "I'll leave in the morning, I'm lucky that there's a full moon almost upon us. Goodnight." He ends the conversation abruptly, not wishing to argue the matter of Deidara coming along with him. He is resolute in his decision for Deidara to stay behind.

"Goodnight master," Deidara says, watching longingly as Sasori departs back towards his room.

Sasori pauses on the stairwell. He doesn't turn back to face Deidara as he says, "I'm sorry you saw me like that earlier. Please forget about it."

"It's alright," Deidara says, wanting to reach out and grab Sasori. But Sasori moves on swiftly, heading up the stairs and out of sight.

Deidara realizes that his bones ache with tiredness too. It's been quite a long day, and an even longer night. He wants nothing more than to rest, but he fears that sleep may not come for a while – he has many questions about Sasori, and he knows they'll circle in his head and keep him awake. Is Sasori making a potion to restore someone's memory? If so, then who? Who is this sorceress that taught him magic? And why hasn't he spoken about her before?

And also, just what does Sasori think of Deidara? Does he reciprocate the same feelings that Deidara feels towards Sasori? What exactly _does_ Deidara feel towards Sasori? It's something he can't quite describe…his heart flutters now every time Sasori is near, and yet being around Sasori seems natural, like home. Is there a term for that?

Perhaps some would call it love.


	7. The Library

The next three days drag on for Deidara, who is once again stuck all alone in Sasori's massive castle as his master ventures out in search for the rare flower that he needs for his potion. Deidara finds himself constantly worrying about Sasori – is he alright? What would happen if Sasori got attacked by a wolf or bear? Deidara tries not to think about it.

He busies himself with cleaning the castle and practicing art. Deidara is currently sweeping the floor upstairs, taking his time and trying to lengthen out his brushing, growing impatient of waiting for Sasori to come home. He sweeps some dust up from in front of Sasori's room and sighs. He's about to brush the dust into his dustpan, when he notes that Sasori left the door partially open to his room.

Deidara is now faced with a dilemma – he's had an unnatural interest for a while now about what Sasori might be hiding in his room. But, he also doesn't want to disobey one of the few rules that he has as Sasori's servant. What should he do? Ignore the opportunity? Or take this chance? It may be his _only_ chance.

Deidara pushes the door open a bit more, allowing some light to spill in on the room. Another push and the door creaks wide open, revealing the room's contents for Deidara's spying and curious eyes. Deidara lays the broom down and warily walks inside, tiptoeing even though he's the only one home.

There's a queen sized bed in the middle of the room, with midnight purple sheets and a big black headboard. Above Sasori's bed, hanging from the ceiling, are odd trinkets that gleam in the light – there's a dream catcher and a tiny orb, probably magical. An intricately carved dresser stands tall at the opposite end of the room, clearly handcrafted by Sasori himself. Deidara looks at the design, admiring the detail in awe. Atop the dresser is a neatly organized arrangement of dolls that Sasori created as well. The entire room screams of Sasori's art and magic – every corner he looks, Deidara spots another artwork more splendid than the last.

Then Deidara finally spots it – is this the reason Sasori forbade Deidara from entering his room?

It's a family portrait, a painted picture of a young Sasori, happy and smiling with joy and the pure innocence of a child. Right by his side are what seems to be Sasori's parents – a red haired male with a stern but happy appearance and a brunette woman with a kind, soft face. His parents look just like him, and Deidara smiles. This picture reminds of a happier, more carefree past.

Deidara is drawn to this picture, and can't look away. How did that little boy grow up to know such anger? What kind of tragic event caused him to turn his heart cold? Deidara feels compelled to touch the picture, almost to confirm that it's real. He reaches a hand out, but he suddenly feels as though the air around him turns icy cold, and he stops.

"What did I tell you about coming into my room?" Sasori's voice seethes out from behind him, twitching with an anger that Deidara has not yet experienced from him.

Deidara spins around quickly, looking up apologetically, "I'm sorry un! I was intrigued, so I stepped in just to take a peek."

"I asked you not to _ever_ come in here!" Sasori's eyes are flashing red with anger, and he raises a hand up, as though he intends to slap Deidara. But he pauses, and his hand doesn't strike.

Deidara flinches away and runs past Sasori, out of his room and down the stairs, his heart beating madly in his chest. But Sasori doesn't just leave it at that, he peers his head down the staircase and yells, "Don't ever go back there again! Do you understand!? There won't be any supper for you tonight! Now get to the bathroom and make yourself useful by cleaning the tub!"

"Y-yes master!" Deidara cries back out with a slightly shaken voice. He was afraid that Sasori was actually going to hit him there – would Sasori really do that?

…

Deidara does feel horrible for intruding on Sasori's privacy, but he has no idea how to go about apologizing to the obstinate man. Deidara finishes his cleaning for the day and returns to his own room with his stomach growling – it's been a while since he's gone to bed hungry. The last time that happened, he was living in his hometown. It used to be a common occurrence for him back then, to go to sleep on an empty stomach.

Deidara crawls onto bed on top of the covers, mind wondering how his parents are faring. Seeing a picture of Sasori with his own parents naturally made Deidara think of his mother and father. If only he could see them one more time…

The hint of tears is sharp, Deidara tries to hold them back. He's about to just give in, and cry into his pillow, when there's a loud knock on his door. "Y-yes un?"

"May I come in?" Sasori asks.

Deidara blinks back the oncoming tears and takes a deep breath to calm himself down. He's surprised that Sasori didn't just burst into his room, he actually asked if he could come in, "Yes."

Sasori opens the door and looks at Deidara, as though he's at a loss for words. So Deidara speaks up first, "I'm so sorry master. I shouldn't have gone in there, I don't know what I was thinking."

Sasori nods, accepting his apology with a surprising amount of dignity, "It's alright. I should never have raised a hand at you like that. I just…get carried away when I'm upset sometimes."

"Well, you hesitated a little, so I knew you must not have really wanted to hit me," Deidara points out, recalling Sasori's hand pause midway in the air, allowing Deidara enough time to scurry away.

"Hm," Sasori grunts out, as if finding this piece of information interesting. "There's something…something I want to show you."

"Show me un?" Deidara asks, blinking in confusion at Sasori.

Sasori begins to unbutton his shirt, and Deidara instantly panics – what exactly is Sasori doing?! Deidara clamps his mouth shut and stares agape as Sasori unbuttons the first three buttons on his shirt and then pulls back the collar to reveal his chest.

Deidara gasps – right where there should be a smooth abdomen, Sasori has a circle around his chest, right over his heart. The area looks stiff, and nearly disconnected from the rest of his fleshy body. It's unnatural, the way it stands out, as though the area is carved out of wood. Deidara doesn't understand, and yet he wants to. He gets up slowly and walks towards Sasori, hand outstretched, looking at Sasori quizzically, silently asking if he can touch. Sasori nods, and Deidara places two fingers on the area – it feels hard, like wood, and it's devoid of a pulse. He brings his hand back slowly, and stares back up at Sasori questioningly.

"I was cursed, about ten years ago. The sorceress placed a curse on my heart, making it incapable of feeling love. She taught me to live my life through power, and to make others quiver in fear at my feet. Now you can see me for what I truly am…a monster. The rumors are true about me, I don't have a heart," Sasori explains, patting his cursed heart, emitting a soft echoing sound.

"That's terrible un…" Deidara says quietly, unable to stop looking at Sasori's curse mark.

"I know, I'm a terrible person. I told you you'd be scared of me," Sasori says, sighing. "That picture in my room…it's the last reminder for me of my humanity."

Deidara's eyes dart up to Sasori's, "That's not it un. I don't mean that you are terrible, I mean that the person who did this to you is terrible. But…I just don't see…how severing your physical heart makes it incapable for you to ever _feel_ love."

Sasori smirks, "you're missing the point brat. I can't give love, so why would anyone ever want to love me? I'm a beast."

"But…you aren't totally unkind. You've shown empathy before…you can change. I've seen it," Deidara denies. This curse – there has to be a way to break it.

Sasori doesn't look so hopeful though, "You've been making up these delusions in your mind. I just wanted to show you to let you know who you're really dealing with here, since you've already been peeping into my room."

Deidara knows this is meant to be an insult, but he feels special to be learning this information about Sasori. "Thank you for showing me master."

Sasori turns to leave, "don't go feeling sorry for me. And don't ever step back into my room again," he warns.

"Yes, right," Deidara says before Sasori shuts the door.

…

Deidara's stomach is rumbling with starvation, and he glances at the clock – it's nearly midnight. He's been unable to sleep, his mind clouded with thoughts of Sasori's curse. Now, his hunger is becoming a bother – he truly won't be able to sleep unless his stomach is full tonight.

Sasori must surely be in bed by now, right? Deidara creeps down the stairs silently and into the kitchen. It's dark, but he knows his way around enough, so he doesn't have to stumble too much. He opens the pantry, and to his disbelief, he finds a bowl of bread and cheese in there. Sasori clearly left it out for him, he must have known that Deidara would go looking for a snack.

Deidara smiles to himself as he eats – Sasori may not realize it, but his heart is slowly returning from the depths of its curse, little by little, day by day.

…..

Over the course of the next week, Deidara and Sasori exchange few words. After revealing his secret to Deidara, Sasori became a bit awkward, perhaps being reminded of his own curse made him sullen again. Deidara notices a change in his behavior towards him though – he doesn't try to order Deidara around, or yell at him. He's careful with how he acts, and he's conscious about it. It seems that Deidara's denial that he can't love stirred something inside the redhead. He's actively trying to be cordial, but doesn't seem to know how.

On one afternoon, Sasori begins a conversation with Deidara out of the blue, as if nothing had changed. "I've been wondering," he starts, grabbing Deidara's mop and casting it aside so that Deidara will listen, "why did you volunteer to take the place of that woman in your village? She seemed willing to become my maid, but you stepped up and took her place. Why would you do such a thing?"

Deidara's brows furrow as he thinks about the incident from so long ago. His chest tightens a little as he explains, "she's my best friend, and I couldn't let her go through with it un."

"Ah, so you were saving your friend from the beast," Sasori nods, acknowledging his own inhumanity.

Deidara blushes, "No un! I mean, at the time, that was part of it…but also, I've always dreamed of becoming a hero. Perhaps being someone's servant wasn't the way I imagined heroics, but in a way, because of what I did, my village is now safe."

"What did you imagine a hero was like?" Sasori inquires.

"In the stories I've read, a hero is someone who travels the world and saves people from wrongdoings…a hero is someone revered by everyone, but who does his work modestly and for the good of the people un," Deidara explains, thinking back to all the fantasy novels he read as a child.

"That sounds like mere fantasy," Sasori comments, "and does this hero fall in love easily as well?"

"Hm," Deidara thinks on that question, chewing it over before answering, "in the books, that's often how it works. But that isn't how I see love."

"What do you mean?" Sasori is puzzled.

"To me, love is layered, love is a mystery to be uncovered. It isn't as simple as 'love at first sight.' Love is deeper than that," Deidara explains.

"I see," Sasori states simply. "Tell me, what were your dreams? I mean, before you came here."

"I wanted to travel, to see the world. I'd love to create art and sell it around the world to others un…I'd love to learn about other cultures and meet new people and explore new places," Deidara sighs, thinking about his dreams makes his heart ache slightly, but not for the reason he expects. If he was able to leave now and venture off to his heart's desire, that would mean that he'd be leaving Sasori behind all alone. He looks into the man's eyes and says, "you've been very curious today…why are you asking me all this?"

Sasori backs away slightly and clears his throat awkwardly, "I just think it's only fair…seeing as you've learned of my secret. I wanted to get to know you a bit better. Very well then, I'll let you carry on with your duties."

"Sasori," Deidara says, stopping the redhead from rushing away, "it's alright. I – I enjoy talking to you."

Sasori turns to look at Deidara, blinking several times. He gives a half smile, "Perhaps we can continue our conversation another time then. I do need to step out for a while for some errands."

"Okay," Deidara says, "I would like that very much un."

Sasori nods and then exits the room. Deidara ponders over the change that he's seen in Sasori in the short amount of time he's been here. He arrived at the castle almost 8 months ago now, and he's witnessed Sasori at his worst, and then seen the gradual change of his supposed 'heartless' soul. But, is Sasori only being nice to him for an ulterior motive that Deidara doesn't see? Does the curse truly render him incapable of ever feeling and understanding love? If that's the case, then why would Sasori question Deidara about what love is?

…

Several hours later, Sasori is back in the castle. As usual, he gave no hint as to where he might have gone. He simply came back and began working on creating puppets. Deidara keeps wondering if Sasori will speak with him again about their earlier conversation – Deidara realizes that he has so much more to tell Sasori about his friends and family. He wants Sasori to know about all of his dreams and interests. He wants to share his humble little world with the redhead.

"Um," Sasori starts, clearing his throat. He's sitting at his work table, but he's put down his tools to look at Deidara as he dusts, "for dinner tonight, I – I wanted to make you something special. I have something to show you afterwards as well."

"Really?" Deidara is dumbfounded – Sasori is treating him to dinner, and there's a surprise?!

"It's nothing really…just a way to repay you for all the hard work you've done around my castle," Sasori says, shrugging his shoulders.

But Deidara is excited nonetheless. The rest of the day is a blur, his hands are shaking with nerves. He tries to calm himself down – he's had plenty of meals with his master over the time he's been here. But the way Sasori said this – that he wants to show Deidara something – it leaves Deidara curious, and baffled. He has no idea what the man is planning.

Deidara decides to don his best outfit – black slimming pants and a button up long sleeved blouse. It isn't very fancy, but it's the best he has. He even combs out his long blonde strands and ties half his hair up into a ponytail, the way he used to wear it back in his hometown. He sighs and releases tension through his exhale, and looks at himself in the mirror. Back home, everyone saw him as a beauty, but nothing more. What does Sasori see when he looks at Deidara?

…

Deidara is shocked when he sees wait awaits him in the dining hall. Sasori has placed their meals side by side on the table, as opposed to on opposite ends like usual. There's a single candle placed in the center, giving off a soft hue of romantic lighting in the room. And, above all else, Sasori is standing there in his most elegant attire – a golden vest over a silken white shirt, with corduroy pants and emerald rings on three of his fingers. Deidara is struck by how handsome his master looks – Deidara can't look away.

Sasori smiles gently, the corners of his lips curving upwards ever so slightly, as though his muscles aren't used to such movement. He bows and says, "I prepared a special evening for us."

"Sa- master," Deidara stumbles on his words, too stunned to speak straight.

"I think you can drop the formalities for tonight Deidara," Sasori says, pulling out a chair and indicating that Deidara sit. Deidara sits down before his knees buckle beneath him – that's the first time Sasori's ever called him by his name and not 'brat!'

Deidara waits until Sasori picks up his fork to eat. He takes his time, trying his best to stay well mannered, recalling the first time he ever ate with Sasori – it feels like eons ago. Now, Sasori is sitting beside him peacefully, enjoying his meal in a quiet, but not awkward, silence.

"Did you find the Lyamar flower?" It's a question that's been dwelling on Deidara's mind since Sasori got home from his trip a week ago. He hadn't found the right time to ask.

"Yes, I did," Sasori says with a small smile.

"And did you encounter any danger along the way?" Deidara asks.

Sasori chuckles slightly, "not this time. It seems my magical quality scared off the predators."

Deidara smiles back, tension releasing from his shoulders, "that's good then, I'm glad it was a successful journey."

Deidara wonders if this romantic meal is occurring for that reason alone – does Sasori feel happy after his success? Did he just want to have a nice dinner to congratulate himself on finding the main ingredient for his potion?

For now, Deidara doesn't care about the answers to those questions though. He's going to enjoy Sasori's company, and immerse in Sasori's blissful mood alongside him.

…..

"That was delicious un," Deidara compliments once they've both cleaned their plates.

"Thank you," Sasori smiles back, and Deidara goes to clean the dishes, but Sasori stops him, "no need to clean tonight, just lay them in the sink and do it tomorrow. I still have something to show you, remember?"

How could Deidara forget? It was all he could think about while eating. Deidara quickly places the dishes in the sink and follows Sasori out of the dining hall and through the castle. Sasori takes him to the ballroom, and leads him to a blank wall.

"You ready?" Sasori asks.

Deidara is confused, "What am I supposed to be looking at un? This is just a wall."

Sasori smirks and then places his hand over the wall, waving it around and revealing a hidden door. The corners and edges of the door were hidden from plain sight, but with Sasori's magic, he exposes the secret. Deidara gasps aloud and stares in astonishment, as Sasori grabs the handle.

"Now, close your eyes," Sasori commands. Deidara does so, and listens as the door squeaks open. He feels Sasori's soft hand grab his own, and his heart skips a beat. Sasori leads him forward slowly, still instructing him to keep his eyes closed. They step forward into the mysterious room and then Sasori says, "Okay, open."

Deidara opens his eyes and takes several double takes around the immense room – it's a library, with more books than Deidara has ever seen in his lifetime! Every wall is filled with bookshelves, and every bookshelf is filled to the brim with books. "Oh my goodness!" Deidara breathes out, he's so excited his voice can't work properly.

"Do you like it?" Sasori asks, looking rather happy with Deidara's reaction.

"I love it un!" Deidara exclaims, trying his best to contain his excitement.

"Then it's yours," Sasori says.

Deidara spins around to face him, sure that he must have heard incorrectly. But Sasori is being candid with him, he's smiling broad and nodding to Deidara, "please, go ahead and read to your heart's desire."

"You're giving me the library?" Deidara asks, still astonished.

"Well, I created it for you," Sasori responds. Sasori begins walking around the room slowly, reaching up and touching the spines of several books that he passes. "I've collected many sorts of books over the years, and I had them piling up in this hidden room, with no organization to them. The day I saw you reading the only book in your possession, I realized what I wanted to do with my spare room. I wanted to create a library for you."

"You made this?" Deidara is almost in tears, so overwhelmed with emotion.

"It wasn't as difficult as you might think – I do have magic," Sasori reminds him as he continues his slow amble around the room, his boots thudding quietly against the marble floor.

"I could never read all these books in one lifetime…I'll never be able to thank you enough for this," Deidara says, his voice choking up a bit, "have you really read all of these?"

"Well, most of them," Sasori says, shrugging his shoulders. "I figure they'll be of better use to you."

"Thank you so much," Deidara says again. He's so overwhelmed, he can't think of anything else to say.

Deidara looks around the room in awe once more, and spots something he hadn't noticed the first time – "is that a piano there?" There's a piano by the door, the only musical instrument Deidara has ever seen in this entire castle. "Do you play?"

"I know a little," Sasori admits, walking over to the piano with curiosity. "I've bewitched the piano to play music by itself."

"Really!?" Deidara didn't know such a thing was possible! "Can you play it now?" He looks up at Sasori with stars in his eyes – it's been months since he's heard music. In his village, if he was lucky, he could listen to a neighbor playing a flute or strumming a violin every once in a while.

Sasori blushes a little, "as I said, I only know a little."

"Oh c'mon, please Sasori!" Deidara begs, realizing too late that he called him 'Sasori' and not 'master' for the first time. He clamps his hands over his mouth, but Sasori chuckles – he isn't mad.

"Okay, but don't laugh if I stumble," Sasori warns as he sits on the piano bench and wiggles his fingers.

Deidara nods, and creeps up behind Sasori, watching as he plays – his fingers move gracefully across the keys, expertly so. Deidara has no idea how long it's been since Sasori's played, but he's picked it back up with ease, letting the notes flow out soft and delicate into the library. The tune is lovely and elegant, with an ephemeral feel to it. Deidara likes it instantly, the music reaches his soul and tugs at his heartstrings.

Sasori plays for a while, getting lost in the rhythm, and Deidara can't help but start dancing – it's been ages since he's danced. He moves around the library swaying his arms and circling about in place, spinning and allowing his blonde hair to billow out.

Deidara continues to twirl around, closing his eyes and humming along with the piano keys. He doesn't notice when Sasori gets off the bench, allowing the bewitched piano to play itself. Sasori surprises Deidara by tapping on his shoulder, interrupting his dance for a moment. Sasori holds a hand out, "may I?" he inquires.

Deidara's heart is full at that moment and his voice catches in his throat – nothing in this world could possibly make him any happier than Sasori asking to dance with him.

A little nervously, Deidara takes a hold of Sasori's hand, placing his other arm around Sasori's waist. The two begin to move and sway together, in step with the music. Simple moves carry them through the song at first, but as they find a good pace, they begin to experiment more with their dancing. Sasori spins Deidara around and then pulls him back in close before leaning him back on one arm. Deidara swoops back up and takes hold of Sasori's neck, bringing them back to a slower paced step. Sasori's moves are skillful and graceful, it seems that he's done this before. Deidara is no expert himself, but he used to spend a lot of time with Kuro dancing as part of their pretend game of a better life.

"You're a great dancer," Deidara says, as Sasori spins him around on his arm once more.

"You're not so bad yourself," Sasori replies, his eyes twinkling with happiness.

The two sway and slide across the library, and eventually out the door into the ballroom, using it for its intended purpose. The piano music can still be clearly heard in the ballroom from the library, the notes carrying out soft and delicate as they bounce around the room. Time is suspended as Deidara and Sasori dance in the golden moonlight, their eyes resting only upon one another. Sasori leads gracefully on the balls of his feet, and Deidara follows with him, his breath catching with every sigh that escapes Sasori's lips. Sasori lifts Deidara off the ground when the music reaches a culmination of joyous melodies, and Deidara swoons for a moment, only regaining his consciousness when his feet are placed back down on the floor.

Deidara has no idea how long they dance for – it's at least five songs, perhaps more. They bring their dancing to a close mutually, noting that they are slightly out of breath. Sasori snaps his fingers and the piano music ceases instantly, bringing their waltz to a close. Deidara bows generously to Sasori, "thank you for that dance."

"Of course Deidara. It was lovely," Sasori concurs, also bowing to his dance partner.

"This has been such a wonderful evening," Deidara says, hoping that it isn't over yet. By now, Sasori usually makes some excuse to go into his room, leaving Deidara alone to his thoughts.

"There's one last thing I want to show you," Sasori says, "come this way, we can sit in the garden."

Deidara goes with Sasori to the garden, wondering what else there could be that Sasori wants to tell him. His heart races madly against his chest in anticipation – this night is reminiscent of a romantic scene from one of the romance novels Deidara read back in the day with Kuro. Is Sasori trying to woo him? Or is Deidara seeing a different side of the man, one that the rest of the world is not privy to?

Sasori sits down on a bench by a bush of red roses. Deidara sits next to him, still flushed from dancing. Sasori plucks a rose and twiddles it between his thumb and forefinger for a moment before looking up at Deidara. He gives the rose to Deidara and says, "When you told me that you'd be lonely here without me…well, I really gave that comment a lot of thought on my last departure."

"You did?" Deidara takes the rose and holds it carefully in his hand.

Sasori nods, "I realize that maybe I haven't been fair to you. I stole you away from your family, so of course you'd be lonely here. So on my way back from the mountains, I made a pit stop with a vendor that I know sells magical items. I made a bargain with him to attain this—" Sasori snaps his fingers and something appears in his hand with a 'poof' of magic.

It's a handheld mirror, with a purple frame and a round face. "What does it do?" Deidara wonders.

"It shows you anyone you want to see. You tell the mirror who you'd like to see and it acts like a portal, showing you what that person is doing. Of course, that person can't see you…but I thought it might be useful to you. You can use it to see your family," Sasori explains, handing the mirror over to Deidara.

Deidara's vision is blurry, and it takes him a minute to realize that it's because his eyes are brimming with tears. He blinks and lets the tears roll down his cheeks as he stares at the mirror in awe. "Sasori…I…thank you so much un!" he cries, before pulling Sasori in for an embrace.

Sasori is startled, but pats Deidara on the back as Deidara squeezes him. Deidara parts and looks at Sasori with affection, no longer denying his feelings for the man anymore. Unlike the rest of the world, Deidara sees the good in him – Sasori is not a beast or a monster, beneath that layer, there's so much more to him, he has a big heart and a gentle, kind soul. It doesn't matter that he's been cursed – Deidara doesn't see any trace of the curse in Sasori.

Sasori smiles warmly and gets up from the bench, "I'll let you have some privacy if you'd like to view your family."

He goes to walk off, but Deidara calls out, "Wait!"

Sasori turns, inquisitive, "yes?"

"I'm sorry about the other day... I shouldn't have seen the inside of your room," Deidara apologizes. He wonders if Sasori's solitude and silence since then was the result of Deidara discovering his hidden curse.

"It's alright. I hope you understand now why I'm giving you that mirror – I don't want you to turn heartless like me from losing your family," Sasori says.

"But, you aren't heartless un. I see the good in you," Deidara tells him gratefully. Sasori's comment seems strangely out of place – wasn't it the sorceress who cursed him? Sasori never did mention what happened to his family…

A sadness reflects over's Sasori's facial features, "I see you are still a fool. Goodnight." He turns to take his leave, and Deidara smiles back at him, hoping to one day soothe that misery within. He is getting closer daily, to finding out the true source of that sadness.


	8. I Expect I'll Never See You Again

Deidara spent almost all night viewing his family in the mirror – he watched his mother and father sleeping together in each other's arms. He watched with tears in his eyes as Kuro spoke with others until nearly midnight, sitting in the leader's chair. It seems that Onoki must have finally given up his position, in lieu of winning their battle against the neighboring town.

Deidara listened to Kurotsuchi empower her people to work harder, and to have hope that things will change for their town. She looks different now – she's poised as a leader, and fearless. Deidara always knew she would rise to the occasion and become a great leader that everyone could love. Seeing that reflected through the magical mirror was a dream come true to Deidara. His only wish is that he could be by her side, helping her and guiding her in any way possible.

By the time morning comes, Deidara is groggy from lack of sleep. He gets up slowly and makes his way to the kitchen to serve breakfast to Sasori, only to find that Sasori isn't in the dining room. He spots a note on the table, scribbled out in quick handwriting, 'Deidara, had to leave on short notice, but will be back by tonight.'

Deidara sighs, feeling slightly crestfallen. He had hoped to reminisce with Sasori about their romantic evening, and perhaps pry further into Sasori's cryptic message that he's heartless without family – what had happened to Sasori's parents? It's a question that boggled Deidara's mind all night.

Deidara slumps back up to his room, figuring that he can rest more since Sasori is away. He'll sleep in and do his chores later. Somehow, he doesn't think Sasori would mind.

…..

Later that night, Deidara is dusting the dining hall when Sasori finally comes back in. He makes a dramatic entrance through the door, shirking off his coat aside and heaving a sigh as he sits in his chair. His hair is unkempt and messy, and his appearance is rather shabby compared to the elegance of the night before. It looks as though he's had a rough day.

Deidara drops the feather duster and goes to put on some tea, knowing that this will cheer Sasori up, even slightly.

"Aren't you going to ask about my day?" Sasori asks, a little sardonically.

"No," Deidara says, pouring a cup of tea, "It seems like you had a bad day, and I know that you'd rather stay quiet about your affairs."

Sasori blinks, looking astounded. He takes the cup from Deidara and says, "I was trying to find someone." He inspects the cup carefully – Deidara accidentally gave him the chipped cup, and a broad smile forms over Sasori's lips for a moment.

Deidara takes this information in with surprise, but treads carefully on his words, lest Sasori get upset, "You were looking for someone? Who?"

Sasori takes a sip of tea, exhaling loudly, "Well…I heard a rumor that this person is trying to find me. I placed enchantments around my castle though, so she can't find it."

This answer only leaves Deidara with more questions, "So…this person is someone who you don't want to see? Then why did you go looking for her?"

"Because I am a coward. I heard from one of my spies that she was in a neighboring village, but the villagers couldn't tell me anything…they were all useless," Sasori says, curling his hand into a fist.

"Spies?" Deidara's never seen anyone come in or out of this castle besides Itachi that one time.

"Birds," Sasori explains, "they see everything and report back to me. Magic gives a person a different way of communicating with creatures."

There's silence for a moment, as Deidara takes this information in, processing it and deciding what to say next. He's still curious about this person, but decides to change the conversation to something else that's been plaguing his mind, "Sasori…"

"Hm?" Sasori turns to look at Deidara, snapping from his reverie.

"Can you tell me about your parents?"

Deidara is sure for a second that Sasori is going to stand up and just walk away. He's sure that Sasori might yell at him, or smash the teacup to the floor. But Sasori surprises him, sitting still in his chair, thinking for quite some time before responding, "My parents…I lost them when I was little."

"I'm so sorry," Deidara says, scooting closer to Sasori. He takes a seat in the chair next to him, and Sasori doesn't push him away.

Sasori turns to Deidara, "When I say 'lost,' I don't mean that they're dead…"

"The potion you're making, the one that can return memories, it's for them?" Deidara puts two and two together.

"Exactly," Sasori nods, "And the person that I don't want snooping around my castle is the woman who erased their memories of me in the first place."

"Who would do such a thing?" Deidara asks.

"Someone who loves power," Sasori states simply, "someone who found me when I was only 7 years old, and realized my potential."

"So, this person, she's the one that taught you magic? The sorceress?" Deidara asks.

"Yes," Sasori replies, "she brought me here to this castle when I was young, with the intent to train me as a sorcerer and pupil to someday rule over the lands. She taught me how to weild weapons and create them. She taught me everything I know. But she did it at the expense of my parents. My parents were poor citizens, and she didn't want to waste the effort to take them in. They didn't want me to go with her, of course. So she wiped their memories and stole me from them. She lied and told me that they would come back one day for me…years passed and I believed her. It wasn't until I was older that I realized what she had done. She's the one who cursed me, and told me I'd never feel love again. I was so angry…I banished her from this place and set spells and enchantments around the castle that would keep her away. But now, I fear those spells are fading, as my magic isn't what it once was…and if she comes back, I don't know what she might do."

Sasori's voice carries off into the silence as Deidara ruminates over this disclosure. "So, you're afraid that if she comes back, she might hurt you?"

"No," Sasori states. He turns his face to look over at Deidara, "There's someone else I want to protect from her now."

Deidara turns red and opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out. He's completely still and speechless. Sasori is trying to protect him. To Sasori, Deidara is someone precious.

"I never did find her," Sasori continues, sighing heavily again. "Maybe my birds were wrong. Thank you again for the tea. I'm sorry that I have to turn in early tonight, but I am exhausted."

"Oh," Deidara blinks out of his trance. "Alright then, I'll see you in the morning."

"Yes," Sasori gets up from his chair and makes his way to his room. Deidara watches longingly as his figure fades away. He sips his own tea for some time, thinking about Sasori's past – no wonder he's locked his heart away and become a monster to the world. After he found out about the betrayal from his own teacher, who can blame him for turning her away and holing himself up in his castle all alone?

Deidara understands things clearer now. There's always more that he wants to ask, but he knows that in time Sasori will tell him. That happy child in the picture in his room serves as Sasori's only reminder of a better past.

…

Sasori seems to be in a better mood the next morning. He sits at the head of the table, perusing through his spell book again. Deidara fixes them breakfast, and the two sit in silence while reading and eating. Deidara brought in a book from the library, eager to read all of the contents of that enchanted room.

Once they've finished eating, Sasori closes his book and sits back, lost in thought. Deidara closes his book as well, too distracted by Sasori to focus on reading. His curiosity gets the better of him, "can you tell me more about your parents? What kind of people were they?"

Sasori's hazel eyes flicker as memories flash in his mind's eye. He smiles sadly, "they were the best kind of people. My dad taught me puppetry when I was young, and we would put on little shows that my mother would love. She would laugh until she cried."

Deidara smiles broadly, "That sounds wonderful un. Do you know where they are now?"

Sasori twiddles his thumbs, "I know they aren't far…I can use my magic to find them. But I haven't ever tried to speak with them, they won't remember me, so it's useless."

"But…what if you told them what happened? Would they believe that you're their son?" Deidara asks.

"I don't know. I've thought of that, of course. But, I'm too much of a coward to do it," Sasori admits. "I'm afraid that they'll reject me, even if they learn the truth."

"Why would they do that?" Deidara furrows his brow, not understanding Sasori's fear.

"Because I am feared by all in this land. I've built up a reputation as Sasori the Red, the angered sorcerer who has no heart…in fact, sometimes, I think things are better this way. I'm better alone," Sasori says.

Deidara's heart aches, hearing him say this. He reaches a hand out, tentatively at first, but then with gathered courage. He holds Sasori's hand and squeezes reassuringly. Sasori doesn't slap his hand away, he looks up at Deidara, eyes glistening. "I need more wood," Sasori says. Deidara is confused, what is he talking about? "I need more oak wood to carve puppets," Sasori explains, still allowing Deidara's hand to caress his own, "Would you be so kind as to go to the market at the foot of the mountain to get some?"

"You trust me to go off alone?" Deidara asks, puzzled.

"Oh, I expect I'll never see you again," Sasori says, with a sad small smile.

Deidara blanches – he can't mean that, can he? Is Sasori letting him go? He's no longer under his command as a servant?

Sasori gets up, turning his face from Deidara as he speaks, "There's a stairway by the garden that leads down the mountain. It's hidden by the rose bushes, you can take that path."

"Sasori…are you…are you sure about this?" Deidara asks. It's getting difficult for Deidara to breathe – is he going to be able to see his family again? Why did Sasori decide this so suddenly?

Sasori continues to face the window, "Yes."

Deidara, overwhelmed, gets up from his chair with numb fingers. He can go home. He can see his mother, his father, Kuro, and all his friends again. It's too good to be true.

But will Sasori be alright? Deidara can't leave him here alone, can he? As if in response to Deidara's unspoken questions, Sasori says, "I'll finish my potion today, and find my parents."

Deidara nods, although Sasori can't see him. His mouth is dry, and he speaks in a near whisper, "thank you."

Sasori, continuously looking out the window, nods. Deidara wishes he would turn, so that he could see his face one last time. But, perhaps a goodbye like this is better. He exits the room and goes to the garden, finding the hidden stairway easily.

….

"Why am I even here?" Deidara mumbles to himself as he purchases some oak wood for Sasori. He places the wood in a basket, and looks back up the mountain, where he can almost spot the castle. Sasori let him go free, so why is Deidara hesitating?

Deidara walks away from the vendor and takes his time, stepping carefully through the woods, wondering which path to take.

An old woman follows in line with him, walking his pace and catching his attention. "Hello there," she says to him kindly. She has grey hair and a kind, wrinkled face. She is short in stature, and wears a long robe with a hood.

"Hello," Deidara replies, distracted by his thoughts.

"You seem to be troubled, am I right?" the old woman asks, poking her nose around in his business.

But Deidara doesn't mind, "I am a little, you could say."

"You carry very little for a traveler," the woman says, noting that he only carries a basket of wood with him.

"I don't want to be slowed down," Deidara says idly, thinking it would be quicker to get back to his village if he didn't carry too much with him.

"Oh," the woman chuckles a little, "I see the problem. You're running from someone. The question is, master or lover?"

Deidara looks at her with surprise, his mouth slightly agape, unsure how to respond to that. "Oh," the woman infers, "master _and_ lover."

"Um," Deidara pauses and stops walking, "I think I need to rest, you can go on ahead." He isn't sure if he should be talking about his feelings for Sasori with this stranger.

But the woman ignores this and places her arm around Deidara's shoulder, "so, if I'm right, you love you're master, but you're leaving him?" she concludes.

"I might love him…" Deidara admits out loud for the first time, "I mean, I could…but, something dark plagues his heart. I know he cares for me, but I don't know if he loves me back." Somehow, it feels good to talk about this, to get it off his chest.

"I see," the woman nods her head, as though she understands completely. "Sounds like a curse to me."

"Hm," Deidara doesn't give in and tell her that she's right, "I think he's too afraid to love me back…it would be easier for him to reject me."

"All curses can be broken. You know, love is the strongest form of all magic, and can cure all things," the woman says wisely, "I think, perhaps, that your love could even cure his own reservations about himself. A kiss born of true love should do the trick."

Deidara stops in his tracks, and looks upon her, astonished.

"Oh my dear, I would never suggest a young lad like yourself to kiss a man who held him captive, what kind of message is that?" the woman shakes her head, as though the notion is preposterous, "besides, if he loves you, he would've let you go. And if he doesn't love you, well then, the kiss won't even work."

Deidara stops again and spins to look at her, "Well he _did_ let me go. Do you mean all that un? A kiss is enough?"

"Well, of course," the old woman says, "I've lived for some time, and I've never seen anything more powerful than love. True love's kiss will break any curse."

 _Love is the strongest form of magic._ The words ring like a bell in Deidara's head, and he makes up his mind about where he has to go.

His home is no longer his village anymore after all. His home is with Sasori.

….

Sasori is busy carving at his work table when Deidara walks through the doors. "Oh, you're back already? Good, good thing," Sasori says, ignoring the fact that he told Deidara he may never see him again, "I'm nearly out of wood."

"Hm," Deidara walks over to Sasori's work bench and sets the wood down on the ground, "C'mon, you're happy that I'm back."

Sasori smirks, "Well, I'm not unhappy."

Deidara walks around and places a hand on Sasori's shoulder, "You were telling me about your parents, before I left." He sits down, right next to Sasori on his bench. Normally, invading Sasori's personal space like this would cause the redhead to explode in anger. But today, Sasori is flustered by Deidara's bold moves…could it be true? Does Sasori love Deidara back?

"Was I?" Sasori asks, his eyes wandering off as though he's lost in space. They come to focus on Deidara, and Deidara smiles encouragingly.

"Tell me more about your parents," Deidara says.

"I lost them…there's nothing more to tell really," Sasori says quietly, his eyes still focused on Deidara with wonder, as though he's afraid of what Deidara might do next.

"And since then, you've loved no one, and no one has loved you?" Deidara asks, his eyes kindled with affection.

Sasori inches forward slightly, bringing his face closer to examine Deidara, "why did you come back?" he whispers, truly perplexed.

"I wasn't going to," Deidara admits slowly, "then, something changed my mind."

He looks down at Sasori's lips, then brings his eyes up to Sasori's. Deidara leans in forward, slowly, hesitantly. He watches as Sasori inclines towards him as well, and Deidara's heart sings.

Their lips meet in an innocent brush together, slow and soft, expressing what words alone could not. Deidara and Sasori part the kiss slowly, letting their foreheads touch together. Sasori looks winded and shocked – he's looking down at his chest, and Deidara follows his gaze.

Sasori's chest is glowing, radiating with magic. That glow is crawling outwards steadily, about to encompass his whole body. Deidara's never seen anything like it, but he instinctively knows it's a good thing. His skin is sparkling and warm to the touch. "What's happening?" Sasori asks.

"Kiss me again, it's working," Deidara proclaims, caressing Sasori's face gently with both hands.

"What is?" Sasori wonders.

"Love is the strongest form of magic, and can cure all things. I think it's helping you regain your magic, and break the curse!" Deidara says happily. There's a flash of something like panic in Sasori's eyes, and everything changes in a split second.

"Who told you that?!" Sasori's reaction is sudden and extreme. He stands up so hastily he knocks over a few of his wood carving tools. "Who knows that!?" He's pointing at Deidara defiantly, and the glowing magic dissipates instantly. Deidara stares bewildered and hurt at Sasori, not understanding why he got so angry so suddenly.

Deidara is in a panic, "I-I don't know un. She uh, she's was just some woman I passed by at the market."

" _She,_ " Sasori snarls the word out through gritted teeth. "You evil sorceress!" Sasori cries out into the void, "You turned him against me?! You think you can make me weak?!"

"Who are you talking to?" Deidara asks, concerned for Sasori's sanity.

"My old teacher, the sorceress Chiyo!" Sasori yells in a high pitch, "did your new friend fail to mention her ties to me? How did she get to you?"

"Chiyo? What?" Deidara is confused. Was that old woman really Sasori's former teacher? Was it the one he was so eager to find for fear that she might hurt him? She seemed like an ordinary old lady to Deidara.

"I knew this was a trick, I knew you could never care for me," Sasori says, drawing closer to Deidara, pointing at him as though he's a felon. "It all makes sense now, you're working for her."

"What? No!" Deidara has no idea how Sasori could come to such a ludicrous conclusion. "This means it's true love!" he yells back desperately, trying to convey his true feelings.

"Shut up!" Sasori yells, deflecting his feelings and hiding under a mask of evil, protecting his heart from possible harm. He still can't trust Deidara, even after all this time. "No one could ever, _ever_ love me!"

He grabs Deidara's wrist forcefully and drags him away, up to his room. He shoves Deidara inside and slams the door, then locks it behind him. Deidara is left in his dark room, panting and breathless and upset.

Hot tears spill forth and fall to his pillow, and he grits his teeth, as horrible whimpering sounds are emitted. This isn't fair – it isn't fair! He loves Sasori, why is Sasori so keen on denying that truth?! Why can't Sasori accept that someone loves him back?

….

It's several hours later when Sasori finally opens his door, and walks in. His aura resembles that of when Deidara first met him – cold and distant and full of anger. "So, what are you going to do to me un?" Deidara asks, sitting on his bed, infuriated.

Sasori points out the door, "Go." This time, it's a command. There's nothing kind about his actions or words.

"Go?" Deidara asks, hurt that this is all Sasori has to say.

"I don't want you anymore brat," Sasori tells him, looking away.

Deidara gets up from the bed, holding onto the magical mirror that Sasori gave him. He's damned if he's going to leave it behind. He walks past Sasori defiantly, not looking at him, still irate from Sasori's denial of his feelings. He steps out the door, and pauses as a wave of emotions hits him. He's saddened that things are ending this way. He doesn't want things to end this way.

And so, Deidara turns back around, to face Sasori and give him a piece of his mind. He positions himself in front of Sasori, and tells him, "You could have had happiness if you just believed that someone could want you! But you couldn't take the chance."

"That's a lie," Sasori says, refuting Deidara's true feelings.

"I can't believe this un," Deidara shakes his head, "You truly are a coward Sasori. No matter how thick you make your skin, that won't change."

"I've told you before," Sasori rounds on Deidara, squaring up and making himself look intimidating, "it's quite simple really. I don't allow myself to fall in love with anyone. Love is a weakness."

"No, that's not true," Deidara contradicts, "You just don't think I can love you. Now you've made your choice, and you're going to regret it, forever. All you'll have is an empty heart and a chipped cup." Deidara leaves these words for Sasori to ruminate. He turns on his heel and finally leaves, his throat constricting with more tears to come.

If he truly can't ever see Sasori again, then Sasori has to know, has to surely realize that Deidara's intentions are real. Sasori can deny and ignore his love all he wants, but he's going to regret it. Deidara hopes that Sasori can realize his mistake in letting Deidara go. But no one follows Deidara out as he exits the front door and takes the stairway down through the garden. No one calls out to him as he makes his way down the mountain. No one comes swooping down from the sky to apologize and win his heart back as he journeys back to his village, with a full and heavy heart.

Sasori really doesn't believe that Deidara loves him.


	9. Banished and Back Again

An entire day passes before Deidara reaches his hometown, with weary feet and swollen eyes from crying. Upon seeing his town though, a weight is lifted from his shoulders, and he feels the tiniest bit happier.

He walks in a stupor, like a lifeless zombie, towards his home. As he goes, he gains a little pep in his step, watching familiar citizens walk by, and smelling that familiar aroma of fresh baked bread from the bakery by his house.

Deidara reaches his abode and doesn't know if he should knock or just enter and surprise his parents. He's too excited to knock, so he ends up bursting through the front door, nearly causing his mother to have a heart attack. She yells and rushes forward to hug him, nearly breaking every bone in his body.

"Deidara!" she's already crying, and clinging to him with her life. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

"I know mom," Deidara says, sobbing into her shoulder.

"Son," his father appears in the doorway, looking stunned. He comes forth and hugs Deidara as well, at a loss for words, while Deidara's mother continues to cry uncontrollably.

"How did you escape?" Deidara's father asks.

"I didn't," Deidara feels his heart sink, "he let me go."

"That monster finally came around to his senses?" his father asks in disbelief. Deidara doesn't have the heart to argue back that Sasori isn't a monster – he's simply misunderstood.

"Kuro will be so happy to see you," his mother cries, "let's go find her now!"

"Dear, she's the town leader, I'm sure she's busy," his father says.

His mother waves her hand aside, tossing that notion out the window, "Oh, she has time for this! Besides, he may have useful information for her!" Deidara isn't sure what she means by this, but he's keen to see Kuro, so he nods and heads out the door with her.

His mother babbles away and catches him up on how things have been going for their town as they walk. She relates that since Sasori the Red gave them an army to help overthrow the neighboring town, that their village has lived peacefully. She tells him that although they are grateful for Deidara's sacrifice, they heard rumors that the reason this pestering town was inciting war was all due to Sasori in the first place. Deidara is shocked to hear this news, so he inquires for further details.

"Mom, slow down, what are you saying?"

"That horrible man made many deals with that town, and the town became rich and greedy as a result. They believed they could swallow up the resources from the rest of us poor folk, and that's why they began battling us," his mother explains.

"But…but Sasori never intended for any of that to happen," Deidara defends, knowing that Sasori only made deals for his own benefit, but not necessarily to the detriment of others.

"How can you say that after living with him for so long?" his mother asks, rounding on him as if he's crazy. They've reached Kuro's house though, and her expression changes. She gives Deidara a kiss on the forehead, "I'll wait here for you."

"I'm not a child," Deidara reminds her.

"I-I just can't believe you're home. Please indulge your worrying mother, I'd like to spend as much time with you as possible, to make up for the time that you were away," his mom says, close to tears. Deidara nods, understanding that she's been grieving without him for so long.

He knocks on Kuro's door, and is greeted with another yell. Kuro hugs him tight and Deidara loses it again, crying into her and losing his composure. Kuro lets him inside and rambles out frantically, "What? When did you get back? And how?"

"Sasori let me go free," Deidara says, wiping his eyes. She's radiant, and more beautiful than ever. His best friend is truly amazing.

"I can't believe it," Kuro hugs him again.

"I hear you're the leader now," Deidara says, congratulating her.

"Yes, Onoki stepped down and the people elected me into the position," Kuro says, beaming. "You were right, I guess I was suited for the role."

"I'm so proud," Deidara tells her. "And how has our little town been managing?"

"Alright," Kuro says, "in fact, now that you're here, this makes things better. We've been discussing how to overthrow the true evil."

"The true evil?" Deidara is confused.

"Yes, the very monster you escaped from, Sasori," Kuro says.

"He let me go," Deidara corrects, "and he isn't a monster un."

Kuro looks at him as though he sprouted a third eye, "Deidara…what's gotten into you? I've heard all about the things he's done. He's heartless."

Deidara is feeling hot and angered all of a sudden, "And what things have you heard exactly?"

"He made deals with the town to the east, the one that we had to go to battle with. He did it to help them so that they would provoke us all into a battle. He has full control over all the lands, with his magic he can do whatever he wants. The reason we live in poverty is because he does dirty deals with the leaders and they end up with nothing, in debt to him. It's time we take our control back," Kuro demands.

"That isn't what happened, he doesn't make deals for that purpose un," Deidara says, "he never intended for that town to look upon their neighbors with greed."

"How would you know?" Kuro asks, brows furrowed.

"I lived with him for almost a year! There's more to him than meets the eye," Deidara says, not sure how to explain all that he's learned of the once mysterious man. "Here, look," Deidara has an idea – he pulls out the magical mirror that Sasori gave him and calls into it, "show me Sasori!"

The face of the mirror swirls for a minute, and Kuro gasps, astonished. The mirror clears and reflects Sasori's image, showing the two of them what he's currently doing.

Sasori doesn't look well – his eyes are flashing with rage, and he's shaking, his whole body quivering with anger. Deidara looks closely and notices that there's shattered glass around him; he's in the dining hall, smashing his own delicate objects from the shelves.

Sasori picks up a vase and throws it at the wall, yelling ferociously. What happened to cause such an outrage? Perhaps his potion didn't work? Deidara doesn't know – he can only watch on in horror as Sasori picks up the blue teacups from a shelf, and begins throwing those on the floor, shattering them to a million tiny pieces.

Then he does something unexpected – he picks up one of the cups, goes to throw it, but stops. He pauses in his action and takes a closer look at the blue teacup. Deidara gasps as he sees what it is Sasori noticed – it's the chipped cup, the one that Deidara dropped to the floor all those months ago. Sasori inspects the cup carefully and then sits down in a chair, slumped over and shaking with what is unmistakably tears. He holds the chipped cup in his hands and cries over it, like a helpless and defenseless animal.

Deidara's seen enough, he chokes out a command for the mirror to cease this display. Deidara's cheeks are wet, and he realizes that he began crying when he saw Sasori break down like that. His very body is aching with misery for the man he still loves.

But Kuro isn't convinced – to her, that entire scene was madness. She has no context, so of course it would seem that way. "I've seen enough," she says, "that man…that man is savage! What kind of person throws around all their expensive china! He looked vicious!"

Deidara is about to retort back, but suddenly someone else steps into the room. A man with long, billowing black hair and red eyes stares at Deidara, and a shiver runs up Deidara's spine. "Vicious? Are you two talking about Sasori?"

"Yes Madara," Kuro says, looking at the newcomer. "This is Deidara, he just showed me the beast through his magical mirror."

"Deidara? The one that was taken by the brute?" Madara asks, flashing sharp teeth in the process. Deidara doesn't get a good vibe from this person, not at all.

"Who are you?" Deidara asks, somewhat rudely. He wipes his cheeks clean of tears and stares at the newcomer with distrusting eyes.

"Why hello Deidara, I am eager to make your acquaintance," Madara says, "I am the leader of the army that was sent by your town to make amends with the easterners."

"What are you doing here with Kuro?" Deidara asks, skeptical of his intentions.

"I am her advisor," Madara explains, "it was my idea to overthrow that evil sorcerer living atop that mountain. If we do so, our land can live peacefully."

Rage spikes through Deidara's veins, he can't take this any longer. "Kuro, don't listen to him. I don't know what he wants, but it isn't good. Sasori wouldn't hurt us, I can promise you that. All he wants is to be left alone."

Madara barks out a laugh, "Oh my goodness, the sorcerer meddled with your mind! No wonder you aren't thinking straight! He must have used a spell on you, to make you his loyal servant."

Kuro inhales sharply and looks upon Deidara with wide eyes at this revelation. Deidara rolls his eyes, "That's ridiculous. I am not under a spell un! Kuro, you've known me for forever! You would know if I wasn't myself."

Kuro's eyes soften a little as she studies him carefully, "That's true…you don't seem to be under any sort of curse to me…"

"That's exactly what Sasori wants you to believe!" Madara yells out defiantly. "Listen, I say the time is now, we should go and kill the beast! I know my followers are with me, are you?" He looks at Kuro, asking for her permission. Deidara somehow knows that it won't matter what she says though.

"I-I don't know," Kuro says, her voice faltering, "Deidara is my best friend, and if he says that Sasori is misunderstood, then I'd like to listen to his story before making any rash decisions."

Madara doesn't accept this response, anger and vehemence is sketched onto every feature of his face, "We can't just sit here and do nothing. I'm rounding up my people, and taking charge."

"Madara! I don't give you permission to do such a thing!" Kuro stomps her foot on the ground.

"I'm not from this town, but I'll do as I see fit to protect these naïve people," Madara barks back. Deidara watches in horror, growing paler by the second. Madara snatches the mirror from Deidara's hand and bursts through the front door, before Deidara has a moment to react.

"Wait un! That's mine!" he cries out, following after the hot headed warrior.

Madara walks outside and corrals a crowd of people, waving his arms around to gather people together and using a booming voice to call, "everyone! Our fears have come to fruition! Sasori the Red is just as we feared – a vicious sorcerer out to terrorize our people!"

There are gasps around the crowd, and the people come in closer to hear what he has to say. Deidara tries his best to calm them down, "No, that isn't true!" but no one is listening to him.

Madara lifts the mirror into the air, "show me Sasori the Red!" he cries out.

The mirror zooms in on a whimpering, distressed Sasori. Tears are still streaming down his cheeks, but he looks angered again – he's bent over his work table, with a slightly crazed look about him as he stirs his potion together, concocting and brewing with magical sparks flying off in odd directions. He inspects the potion closely and yells out in a rage before pounding his fists on the table – Deidara's seen this tantrum before, Sasori is taking out his anger and regret on trying to concoct his potion, and it isn't working. Deidara sees a heartbroken man, unable to express his emotions properly, but the rest of the townspeople see a monster, creating an unknown and likely dangerous brew.

"Look, he's making a magical potion right now – who knows what kind of brew it is! It could be poison! Or mind control!" Madara yells, brandishing the mirror about so everyone can take a look.

"You're taking things out of context! He's upset because I left, he's heartbroken!" Deidara cries out, tugging on Madara's arm frantically, trying to pull the mirror down.

"Hahah!" Madara cackles madly, "do you hear this fool? He's been bewitched! He thinks that the beast can actually love him!" The crowd laughs and Deidara blushes furiously. "Tell me Deidara, do you love this man?" Madara asks mockingly.

"Yes, I do un!" Deidara admits, no longer afraid if the whole world thinks him insane. "Give me my mirror back!"

"I've seen enough," Madara cries, telling the mirror to terminate their view of the angered Sasori. "This person here is obviously deranged, he should be placed in a prison until we've captured and killed Sasori!"

"Yeah! Lock him away!"

"Bless his poor heart! He thinks the beast can love!"

"It's for his own good!"

The various cries from the crowd all indicate that they are blindly following Madara. Deidara panics, realizing his dire situation – he has to get to Sasori before they do! These people literally want to kill him!

But rough hands are forced onto Deidara, three guards grab a hold of him as he kicks and thrashes, desperately trying to get free. "No! Stop un!" he cries. He can see his mother in the distance in the crowd, crying and yelling, probably trying to tell the people that her son is innocent. But no one listens.

Deidara is carried to one of the prison cells and thrown in roughly. He grabs onto the bars and screams, "You're making a mistake! This is tyranny! I want to talk to Kuro un!"

The guards give a nasty smirk and leave him in the cell.

Deidara sighs, hopeless and heartbroken. He's too angry too cry; his body is shaking and his breathing is shallow. How could the people of this town turn on him so easily? How can they follow this man's words so readily? He must have been quite some war hero…and there's no denying he has charisma as a speaker.

But this is no time to wallow in his misery – Deidara needs to find a way out of this prison and fast, so that he can get to Sasori before Madara. He kicks at the bars, which are hard steel. "Argh!" he cries out in vain, "what am I supposed to do!?"

He spends the next hour or so trying to find a way out of his musty cell – he looks at the walls for any cracks and tries to find anything sharp to jam into the keyhole. There's nothing though, no clue on how to get out. He can hear the steady feet of guards outside his cell, walking back and forth.

He feels like he's going to go crazy – this can't be happening! His chest feels tight with panic, what will they do to Sasori?

He hears the guard's footsteps stop suddenly, as though there's some commotion outside. He strains to hear what's going on, but it's too quiet in his cell. He sighs, and hopes for a miracle.

"Deidara," his mother's voice calls out from the corner of the room. Deidara looks up, shocked to see her and Kuro standing there. It looks like he's getting a miracle after all!

"Mom! Kuro!" he cries out, "please, you have to believe me! Sasori isn't evil un!"

"We do believe you," Kuro states, "I think we're the only ones who do. That mob got out of control out there, I don't know what Madara is thinking."

"Oh thank you!" Deidara is so relieved to hear that his mother and Kuro are on his side. "Please, let me out of here! I have to get to Sasori un."

Kuro jiggles keys in her hand and goes to Deidara to unlock his cell, "I ordered the guards to leave the prison and make rounds outside to calm the mob down. Madara and his men already left unfortunately, so you don't have much time. The guards will be back any minute now, and they'll definitely try to chase you down. There's a horse waiting outside, take it and go."

Kuro opens the door to his cell and Deidara rushes out, hugging her quickly in thanks. He then turns to his mother, who already has tears brimming in her eyes. "You really do love him?" she asks.

Deidara nods, not sure what his mother's reaction will be. He knows she probably never imagined her son to go off with a stranger and become his servant and fall in love. She doesn't know the full story, doesn't realize that there's more to him than the rumors. But she smiles softly at him and says, "I trust you Dei. If you love him, he must be a good man. I know you'll follow your heart, but please be safe. I can't stand losing you again."

Deidara hugs his mother tight and kisses her cheek, trying to hold back tears. It's useless. He's so overcome with love for his family and friends, and so grateful to have them by his side. His heart aches with longing to stay by them forever, he doesn't want to leave them so soon after just returning. But his mother is right – he has to follow his heart.

"Okay, no time to waste – go save him!" Kuro says, walking him out the door and to the horse that awaits. "We'll be here waiting for you, please come back one day!"

"Of course un," Deidara says, squeezing both their hands before he mounts the horse. "I love you both!"

He then grabs the saddle and his horse rides him away from his hometown once more. It seems surreal, that he was only in town for a few hours before he has to leave again. His body should be dead tired from his travels, but the added kick of adrenaline coursing through his veins keeps him awake and alert. He rides on with gusto, eager to catch up to Madara and his soldiers.

With luck, he'll reach Sasori in time. The only thought running through Deidara's head is that he has to get there, no matter what.

He won't lose Sasori, it simply can't happen.

...

 **Author's Note:** Deidara is coming to the rescue! I'm sorry if the previous chapter left anyone feeling hopeless, but don't worry! This is a fairy tale story, so it will of course have a happy ending despite the troubling times at the moment. Thanks to all my readers, and thanks to everyone who comments and likes the story! I'm grateful for your continued support! :)


	10. Save the Beast

Deidara finally reaches the foot of the mountain, and he spots several other horses waiting there, tied to a post. Madara's men are already up at the castle – he's running out of time. Deidara frantically finds the stairway hidden around the jutted rocks of the mountainside, and hopes that with this secret shortcut, he can make up for lost time.

He races up the stairs, losing breath from his run and with increased altitude. He doesn't care if his lungs give out – he has to make it, has to save Sasori!

As he goes, he realizes that he isn't sure exactly how to manage such a feat. He brought no weapons with him, and he isn't a sorcerer like Sasori. Sasori will probably manage on his own, right?

But then Deidara remembers how Sasori glowed anew with rekindled magic from their kiss. Chiyo's words ring through his head again, _Love is the strongest form of magic, and can cure all things._ Deidara recalls how Sasori's magic prowess has been subdued lately, and he's been in a slump about it. Could magic abilities be related to a person's emotions? Was Sasori losing magic because he was lonely and spiteful against the world? If he allows love into his life, what would happen?

Love can cure all things.

It's a mantra that flows throughout Deidara as he makes his ascent, getting closer to the castle with each step.

Finally, Deidara makes it to the top. The front doors are burst wide open, and there's a ruckus of noise coming from within. Panic and fear rise up Deidara's chest, and he runs inside, adrenaline kicking back into his system.

"Sasori!" Deidara calls out, wondering where the sorcerer is in this massive castle.

He hears a groan, a cry for help, from upstairs. Deidara runs up the stairs, two at a time, rushing towards the source of the sound. He spots that the door to the balcony is open, and he rushes outside, seeing red.

Sasori is slumped against the baluster, defeated and torn. An arrow sticks out from his left shoulder, and his arm is bent in an awkward position. Deidara notes with horror that blood drips forth from the wound, and Sasori looks extremely pale.

"Sasori!" Deidara cries and runs towards Sasori. Sasori sees Deidara and his eyes grow wide, something like a flame lights up in them, as though he's decided not to give up hope, and regained the will to live.

"Deidara," Sasori chokes out, "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Fool, you followed us here?!" Madara stands opposite of Sasori, holding out a bow and arrow. His cronies stand around him, menacing but not formidable, standing back and letting their leader handle the action. "I need one more shot to kill the monster," Madara declares.

"No!" Deidara cries out and lunges forward at Madara, shoving his arm upwards as he shoots an arrow. The arrow goes flying into the sky, missing its intended target by a long shot.

"You insolent brat!" Madara cries, slapping Deidara away.

Deidara tumbles to the ground but gets up fast and rushes towards Sasori, who has regained some of his energy. "Dei-da-ra," he whispers each syllable, "Why? Why did you come back?"

Deidara's vision is blurry from the tears that flow freely, he looks at Sasori with a heavy heart, "You already know the answer," he caresses Sasori's cheek, "why haven't you healed yourself yet?"

"My – magic," Sasori inhales sharply, the effect of blood loss is making his world dizzy, "My magic depleted considerably when you left. It's all my fault, I—I"

"Shh," Deidara places a thumb over his lips, which are cold and pale. "Save your energy."

Deidara turns around to face Madara, who looks upon them with disgust. "Move aside, or I'll just have to kill you too."

"No," Deidara states firmly, "Get out of here."

"Have it your way then," Madara lifts his bow up again, preparing an arrow straight for Deidara's heart.

He releases the arrow, just as Deidara got up to lunge for him again. But it's too late – his action wasn't ever going to work – he's running towards the arrow, and if he moves away, it will only hit Sasori.

But nothing ever pierces Deidara's chest– the arrow stops in midair, a hairs breadth away from Deidara's ribcage. It falls to the floor, and Madara and Deidara look at it, astounded. Deidara whips his head around to see Sasori behind him, standing on his two feet, hand outstretched.

"You dare," Sasori says, heated spite in his voice, "you dare to point your weapon at Deidara!"

"Ah, so the beast has awoken?" Madara mocks, not aware of the dire situation he's found himself in.

Sasori snaps his finger and raises a hand, and Madara makes an ugly guttural sound. He's lifted off the floor with Sasori's magic, and he's gasping and choking, grabbing at his neck. Sasori is choking him through the power of his magic, and he moves Madara over the edge of the balcony with one wave of his arm, dangling him precariously above the mountainside.

"Sasori! No!" Deidara cries, "It's not worth it, please! Don't kill him."

"He tried to kill you," Sasori says, squeezing his hand harder and causing Madara to exhale another gurgling sound.

"Vengeance won't make you feel better, it will only cause you pain," Deidara tells him, begging him to let Madara go.

Sasori sighs and nods, placing his trust in Deidara. He moves Madara back onto the balcony and lets him go, watching as the black haired warrior splutters and chokes for air. "Leave," Sasori demands, looking upon him with hatred.

A fearful Madara nods, and his companions who were watching on the sidelines scurry away, back down the stairs.

Deidara rushes forward as Sasori begins to collapse again, slumping from the effort of using so much magic. "Sasori," Deidara holds the man gently in his arms, placing one hand over the arrow, "shh, I can heal this for you."

Deidara focuses on trying to find a way to tug the arrow out, and Sasori closes his eyes with the pain. They both don't notice Madara crawling up behind them, with his dagger raised, until it's too late.

"No!"

"Argh!"

"Yes! Haha!" Madara's evil laughter cackles around the vicinity as he removes the dagger from Sasori's back. The wound he leaves behind is deep, much deeper than the arrow. Sasori splutters, eyes losing focus.

"No!" Deidara yells out again, eyeing Madara with abhorrence. He's about to push him away, but someone else beats him to it.

The vines that crawl up the side of the balcony magically spring to life and wrap around Madara, tying him up and lifting him over the edge of the mountainside again. Deidara turns to see who is controlling this power – he spots the old woman, presumably Chiyo, standing in the doorway, her presence terrifying and domineering.

"Ch-Chiyo?" Sasori splutters out through a mouthful of blood.

Madara thrashes about in the vines, trying to break free. Chiyo holds him still over the jagged rocks of the mountainside, and tells them, "I'll take care of him, if you'd like."

"No un," Deidara says, "Just get him out of here, please."

Chiyo narrows her eyes, "as you wish." She releases Madara from the vines and sets him back on the balcony floor. She then uses magic to tie his hands behind his back with rope, and ushers him out the door and down the staircase. Deidara watches with puzzlement – how did Chiyo get here? How did she know Sasori was in danger? But those questions will have to be answered later.

Sasori coughs once more, bending forward, his face a sickly pale color. Deidara strokes Sasori's cheek carefully, and places him against the baluster, allowing him to sit up.

"Dei-dara," Sasori manages to say.

"Shh," Deidara holds him up, his hands are already covered in blood from Sasori. "It'll be alright."

Sasori gives him a weak smile, "I'm just glad I got to see your face, one last time."

"No, don't talk like that un," Deidara says through tears.

Sasori reaches a hand up and touches Deidara's cheek, "I was a fool, I-I closed my heart to you."

"It's okay...I knew all along that you weren't truly a beast without feelings. I was always able to see you for who you really are," Deidara tells him, rubbing his cheek with his thumb softly, trying to keep his tears at bay.

"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have yelled at you and kicked you out..." Sasori says, his voice sounding rough as he winces with pain.

"It's alright. Shh...please, save your energy un," Deidara tells him, propping him up carefully.

Sasori coughs a sickly gurgling sound and says, "I-I don't have much time left...there's so many things I want to tell you..."

"Sasori, no," Deidara shakes his head defiantly and the tears cascade down his cheeks, "You had the magic to stand up and stop that arrow earlier, and to hold Madara over the balcony. Can't you heal yourself now?"

"I used up the last of my energy doing those things...I'm afraid I've depleted all my magic at this point," Sasori explains.

"No...Sasori," Deidara pulls him in closer and hugs Sasori's face to his chest, caressing him gently, "why would you do that? Why did you waste all that effort on me?"

Sasori smiles through the pain, "Because, for the first time in a long time, I have something worth fighting for and protecting."

"Sasori, please," Deidara begs, tears streaming down his cheeks and splashing on Sasori's face, "please don't go. I love you."

"I love you too," Sasori says, looking deep into Deidara's eyes. His hazel eyes are wide and fearless, full of nothing but compassion for the blonde holding him dear to his chest. Sasori starts to close those hazel eyes, and his breathing becomes shallow and short. Deidara watches in horror as the life begins to creep away from Sasori's eyes, and his eyelids begin to shut.

Was he too late? Is Sasori going to die here in his arms?

Deidara's body shakes as he trembles the words out, "No Sasori please. Please don't go. I love you, I love you, I love you."


	11. Love Heals All Wounds

Deidara closes his eyes, too overcome with emotion to look upon the dying man in his arms. Deidara whimpers and chokes on his tears, and he almost doesn't notice the white glow that begins to surround Sasori's body. He startles and gasps when he finally notices the light, realizing what this is – it's Sasori's magic being restored through love.

The glow is similar to when Deidara kissed him, but this time it's stronger. Perhaps it's because Sasori finally allowed Deidara into his heart – he finally accepts that he can be loved, that he isn't some cruel heartless beast, incapable of loving or of being loved like he previously thought. The magic radiates around Sasori, glowing brighter over his wounds. The arrow in his arm shoots out and falls to the ground, and the open wound on his back closes and heals itself. The bright light then gathers around his chest, right over his heart, freeing him from the curse set by Chiyo long ago.

The process takes only a few seconds, and Deidara stares, mesmerized by the phosphorescent glow. He watches as life is brought back into Sasori's being – he's no longer pale and limp, and his hazel eyes have been rekindled with his gentle spirit.

When the glowing light fades, Sasori stands up, and inspects his body, with newfound vitality. He touches his chest, and pulls back his shirt to reveal a normal, fleshy breast, devoid of the cursed circle or wound. "Deidara," Sasori gives him the widest smile he's ever seen.

Deidara stands up, and touches Sasori's chest, proving that this isn't a dream. "You're alright," he says, smiling back at the redhead. His body is still trembling, his mind can't believe what he just witnessed. Sasori is alive! He's so happy he feels feint.

Sasori, overwhelmed with joy, leans in and kisses Deidara, passionately and avidly. He lifts Deidara off his feet and swings him around in the air, bringing him down to the earth, spinning and breathless.

"I was saved, I was changed, by you," Sasori says, breathing Deidara's scent in, resting their foreheads together.

"I always saw the good in you, you just had to see it for yourself," Deidara tells him, blinking away more tears.

Sasori smiles and kisses Deidara keenly again. He kisses Deidara's nose, then his cheeks and then back to his lips, savoring all of him, grateful for everything Deidara's done.

"Hello, sorry to break this up," a voice calls from the doorway.

Deidara and Sasori turn to see Chiyo standing there, alone. Madara and his men have gone, presumably back down the mountain.

"Chiyo," Sasori says, holding Deidara's hand and standing in front of him protectively, "What are you doing here? How did you get in?" His voice is firm, yet not angry.

"You're not the only one with spies," Chiyo claims, looking up towards the sky. There's two ravens circling above them, "I heard you were in trouble, and so I came. Your magic enchantments to keep me out of this place wore off, thank goodness. I was able to come just in time."

"But why?" Sasori asks, perplexed. He isn't mad, simply confused by her actions. Deidara squeezes his hand, giving his support.

"I was a horrible teacher, and in my old age as I grow closer to death, I can see clearly how much damage I did to you. I've come to make up for all of that," Chiyo explains, looking forlorn, "I regret wiping your parents' memories, and teaching you to evade love."

"What un?" Deidara asks. He knew Chiyo had erased the memories of Sasori's parents, but he didn't know that she directly taught him to be wary of love.

"Love is a weakness – that line of thought was like my motto when I was younger, raising this boy. I had heard it said that love is the strongest of all magic, and so I was cautious of it. I had suffered the loss of love many times, and I thought a sorcerer would be stronger, tougher, without it. But I was wrong. I took his parents away and raised him to see the world through my faulty ways, and to treat others with mistrust and doubt, and to make them fear his power. But it didn't work – Sasori still missed his parents, and he kicked me out once he learned what I had done to them," Chiyo explains.

"You did a horrible thing," Sasori agrees.

"You may never forgive me, but I am truly sorry. Once I was gone from the castle, I had time to think. I realized that I had become lonesome, and that my magic suffered as a result. I wasn't as strong as I once was. I couldn't figure out why for the longest time, but then I was accepted into a small village. I spoke with the people there and learned of their humble way of life. I soon made friends, and let my heart open up to them. My magic responded, and grew tenfold as a result. I became more powerful than I could ever have imagined. I was happy, but I had many regrets. I couldn't bear what I had done to you Sasori, and so I sought to make things right. I started to spy on you a little, just to get an idea of where you'd be traveling to. I'm happy that my idea to get you a servant worked," Chiyo smiles at Deidara.

Deidara jolts with surprise, and Sasori shakes his head, "I saw a townsperson when I was making a deal, and he was bragging about his wonderful maid. It gave me the idea to find a servant for myself."

"I planted that person there," Chiyo says, nodding, "I knew you were lonely Sasori, but I couldn't get to you, since you had placed enchantments to keep me out. Once I saw that you had obtained a servant, I hoped your heart would learn to let its guard down. Deidara did that, and more. And then, luck smiled upon me, and I found the very people I've been looking for."

"Looking for?" Sasori moves forward towards Chiyo, "You can't mean – ?"

"Your parents are waiting in your ballroom, I thought you might like to listen to my story first before I brought them in. I've been living in the same village as them for a few years now, and we've become close. I'm sure they'll hate me once they learn the truth, but that's alright with me. I take it you have the magic now to finish your potion?" Chiyo asks.

Sasori nods, too stunned to say anything.

Chiyo nods and turns in, heading down the stairs. Sasori takes a deep breath, and Deidara can feel his hands shaking. Deidara squeezes his hand reassuringly, "Don't be scared. You can do this. I'll be with you the whole time un."

"I know," Sasori looks at Deidara adoringly. "Let's go."

Sasori leads Deidara inside, and back to his work table, where the potion lays. It's a dark blue color, and Sasori says, "it's supposed to be gold, like the flower itself." He grabs the bottle with both hands and closes his eyes, letting his magic flow through him and to the concoction. The potion changes hue, and begins to shine a spectacular shade of gold.

"It's working un!" Deidara says, "I knew you could do it!"

Sasori smiles, "shall we? I know maybe it's unconventional, since we've only just professed our love for each other, but I'd like you to meet my parents. Besides, I need you for moral support."

"Of course," Deidara takes Sasori's hand, and the two of them walk into the ballroom together.

…..

Sasori falters when he sees them – a red haired male, older but still a spitting image of Sasori, and his brunette wife, a woman with a kind face and eyes like Sasori's. Deidara tugs on Sasori's hand, helping him through the threshold and towards his parents. They are looking at Sasori with curious eyes, brows furrowed wondering who this young man could be.

Sasori doesn't have a clue of what to say, and neither does Deidara for that matter. Luckily, Chiyo clears her throat, "Mr. and Mrs. Akusano, this is the young man I was telling you about, Sasori."

"Hello," his mother greets, giving a warm smile, "I recognize you by your red hair, just like how Chiyo described."

"He and his lover, Deidara, have made you something special," Chiyo goes on to explain. Deidara blushes at the word 'lover' that casually spilled from her mouth. Chiyo backs up a little, and allows Sasori to hand over the bottle of golden liquid to his parents, with trembling fingers.

"A drink?" his father asks skeptically, inspecting the bottle, "it looks like it could be poisonous…what are you trying to do to us boy?"

Sasori's eyes are brimming with tears, "I-I simply want you to remember…" his voice is distant, and choked.

But Sasori's mother is more trusting, she takes the bottle from her husband's grasp and takes a sip, with her eyes closed. Sasori's father sighs and takes it after her, downing the rest of the contents.

They blink for a few moments, confusion and then something like a revelation strikes their faces. "Sasori! My son!" his mother leaps forward and embraces him with tears, holding him so close Deidara fears he might break a bone. His father soon follows suit, hugging his family with a mixture of tears and joyous laughter.

Deidara takes this as his cue to back away slowly, and he notes that Chiyo has already disappeared. She must have snuck out of the castle to avoid the backlash of Sasori's parent's anger. He couldn't blame her, but he felt a little bit of sorrow realizing that she assumed she would never be forgiven. By coming back to make amends with Sasori and his family, Deidara believes that Chiyo has come clean with her previous transgressions.

Deidara admires Sasori from the edge of the room, watching his happy family reunion. He's about to slip away himself, and leave them to their privacy, when Sasori turns to Deidara, his eyes wet and his smile large. "Deidara," he says, calling him over.

Deidara glides over to them slowly, feeling awkward and nervous. But Sasori's mother brings him in for a hug, "you must be someone special," she says, "Sasori is careful about who he gets close to."

Deidara nods, wondering how Sasori's mother could know this after being apart from her son for so long. Perhaps it's mother's intuition. Sasori's father shakes Deidara's hand and then brings him in for a hug as well. The entire affair leaves Deidara in tears, shaken by how overwhelmingly welcoming Sasori's family is with him. It makes him yearn for his own family, and his own friends back home.

Sasori gives Deidara a knowing look, and Deidara understand that Sasori can clearly see into his heart; he's an open book. Sasori closes his eyes and then opens them, an idea reflected in the hazel orbs. "Mother, father, now that we've met again, I'd like to propose something to you both."

"Of course," Sasori's father stands upright, trying to control his emotions and compose himself.

"I'd like us to move to Deidara's village. They are a humble and poor town, but I want to stay by him. Deidara misses his own family," Sasori explains. Deidara's heart soars in his chest.

"We'll go wherever you go son," his mother says, tears still leaking freely.

"What about this beautiful castle?" his father asks, looking around the ornate ballroom.

"It's a very lonely place up here on this mountain. I know many merchants who I could sell the furniture and art to, and that money can be used to help Deidara and his family. The only thing I can't sell are all the books, of course," Sasori explains, looking at Deidara, who smiles warmly.

"Very well then, that sounds like a plan. I can't believe it's been 20 years…" his father says, his voice trailing off softly.

"We have a lot to catch up on, a lot of missed time to make up for," Sasori agrees, clutching his mother's shaking hands and kissing the knuckles.

"From here on out, we'll have nothing but good memories," Sasori's mother says, beaming at Sasori and then at Deidara.

"Yes," Sasori looks upon his mother and father, and then rests his eyes upon Deidara, his heart full, "I agree completely."


	12. Epilogue

Deidara sighs as he takes another look into the mirror, wondering if his eye make-up is too thick, or if his hair has any loose ends sticking out.

"You look beautiful Dei," Kuro reassures him, "Sasori is going to be floored when he sees you."

"You think so un?" Deidara is so nervous he might faint. "What if he gets cold feet and runs away?"

"That's not going to happen," Deidara's father interjects, "son, he adores you more than anything else in this world."

Deidara takes a step back to view his full body in the mirror again. He's donned a fashionable tuxedo with an elaborate blue tie to match his eyes. The outfit was Sasori's idea, he helped him pick out everything from a merchant who cut them a deal (Deidara's suspects that the merchant had previously encountered Sasori back when he was still feared as Sasori the Red).

"You're the most stunning groom I've ever seen," Deidara's father says, patting his back gently. "Are you ready?"

Deidara sighs shakily, "Yes un. And Kuro, you're my maid of honor, hurry and get ready to walk out first!"

"Alright, alright," Kuro waves her hands up, glancing up at the time, "Don't be nervous Dei, make sure to smile!"

Kuro rushes to get into position to lead the wedding trail. Deidara takes one more deep breath, thinking about all the fond memories he has had with the man of his dreams since he first met him three years ago. The two have known for a long time now that they wanted to get married, but now it's finally happening, and Deidara can't explain why he's such a nervous wreck.

He and his father get in position and wait for the music to start. Deidara wonders what the crowd will think of him – there are lots of guests at this event, some names he didn't even recognize. He hopes to heaven he doesn't trip or make a weird face.

Heart pounding in his throat, Deidara steps out with his father right on cue. He looks up the long aisle, palms sweaty, until he spots Sasori's face. All tension leaves his body immediately. Looking at the affection reflected in Sasori's eyes brings him peace, a calming wave washes over his body, and he walks forward confidently towards the man he loves.

Sasori smiles brightly, and Deidara is surprised to see tears brimming in his eyes. Deidara reaches the alter and hugs his father before taking a step in front of Sasori and quickly grabbing his hands. Sasori can't stop smiling, and a tear is actually rolling down his cheek now! Who knew that Sasori would be the one to cry at their wedding?

The officiator begins the ceremony, and Sasori squeezes Deidara's hands as the man talks about love. Sasori's parents are seated in the front row, his mother's cries are quite loud, and Sasori's father is trying his best to control her wailing. Deidara smiles at them, knowing how overcome with emotion they get when it concerns their son. Sasori's mom beams at Deidara and takes one last sniffle, holding in the rest of her tears for later.

The ceremony continues on in an almost blur for Deidara, who can't seem to keep his eyes off of his fiancé. The time finally comes for them to read their vows to each other, and Deidara begins, clearing his throat and looking into Sasori's soft eyes, "Sasori," he swallows hard, feeling a bit nervous with all the eyes in the room on him, "when I first met you, I never knew that we would build such a beautiful relationship together. You were lost in darkness, you thought of yourself as a monster…but I never saw that in you. I always saw through to your true heart, and once you let me in, I could feel you change. You became a happier, more fulfilled man. I am grateful and happy to have the opportunity to spend my whole life with you, the man who taught me the very thing worth fighting for in this life – true love. I love you with my entire being Sasori."

Tears are falling freely all over Sasori's tux now, but he doesn't bother to wipe them away. Sasori takes his hand away from Deidara's carefully, reaching into his pocket to pull out his hand written vows, "Deidara," he begins in a shaky voice, "When we met, I wasn't just unloved and unloving. I was an enemy of love. Love had only brought me pain. My walls were up, but you brought them down. You brought light into my life, you chased away all the darkness. I vow to you that I will never forget the distance between what I was and what I am now. I owe more to you than I could ever say. I may not be perfect, but I will do all I can to make sure you are loved and happy for the rest of your life."

"No one is perfect," Deidara continues, "sometimes, the best book in the library has the dustiest jacket, and sometimes, the best teacup is chipped."

"I love you Deidara," Sasori grabs his hands again, shutting his eyes for a moment as fresh tears flow.

Deidara is crying now too, and he can hear more sniffles coming from the crowd, "I love you so much Sasori."

"You may now kiss the groom," the officiator announces.

Sasori wastes no time in kissing his perfect husband, he leans forward and hugs Deidara tight as they push their lips together in an intimate embrace. Deidara smiles into the kiss, which tastes slightly salty from all of Sasori's tears mingled with his own. His heart is soaring, and they release to a round of cheers from the audience. Deidara places his forehead against Sasori's, their eyes locked together.

"You look so beautiful," Sasori whispers. "Thank you again."

"For what?" Deidara asks as he takes Sasori's hand, both of them being ushered away by the wedding processional.

"For saving me," Sasori states as they begin to walk away from the alter.

"I love you endlessly, my husband," Deidara tells him, giddy at the word 'husband.'

Sasori leads Deidara out into the reception hall, his heart fuller than it ever was before.

/

"I came as quick as I could!" Deidara bursts through the doors, looking on in a frenzy at Konan on the bed, with Sasori holding her hand reassuringly. "How is she?"

"She's fine," Sasori says, looking down towards the doctor at the foot of the bed. "I gave her a pain relief potion, she can barely feel anything down there."

"Yeah," Konan says to Deidara, not looking at all like a woman in labor, "I really don't feel much…it's kind of weird."

Deidara smiles, grateful that his caring husband took the time to make a tricky potion to give to Konan to help her through this process. Konan is a fellow neighbor in the village who mistakenly got pregnant with her boyfriend Yahiko – upon hearing the news, Deidara and Sasori asked if they could adopt her baby. She was eager to comply with their wishes, especially considering all the money Sasori gave the young couple for their trouble.

Deidara goes to her other side, about to hold her hand when he realizes, "Ah, silly me, I forgot to wash off the clay from work."

"It's okay," Konan reaches her palm out and Deidara grasps it and squeezes. He's truly so grateful to her for mothering their child.

The doctor orders Konan to take another few pushes, and before long, there's a languid sound of wailing in the room. The doctor pulls out the naked and crying baby, and Deidara and Sasori hold their breath.

"It's a girl," the doctor announces, "you did very well Konan."

"Thank you," Konan smiles.

"A girl," Sasori chokes out, "Dei we have a little girl!"

"I know!" Deidara rushes to his husband's side and hugs him, impatient for the doctor to clean off the baby so he can hold his daughter.

Konan lays still in bed, and Yahiko rushes to her side, checking over his girlfriend. Deidara and Sasori take a seat by the bed, and the doctor comes back with a swaddled infant in his hand.

He gives the baby to Sasori, "congratulations you two."

Sasori and Deidara peer down at their daughter's face, which is wrinkled and small. She is asleep, peacefully dreaming. A drop of water falls to her cheek, and Deidara realizes that it's his own tears spilling forth onto the little baby.

"Wh-what should we name her?" Deidara asks, taking his turn to hold her now.

"Hm, how about Mio, our beautiful blossom?" Sasori suggests.

"It's perfect," Deidara agrees, "welcome to the world Mio."

/

"Hey daddy," Mio looks up at Sasori inquisitively, "how did you and father meet?"

"Oh," Sasori chuckles and looks at Deidara for help.

Deidara sets down his clay and grabs a towel to wipe his hands. Mio is already 7, and she's so curious about everything around her in the world. "It's quite a romantic love story," Deidara says, thinking back fondly to living alone atop the castle in the mountain with his 'master.'

"Your father was working for me as a servant," Sasori begins.

"You have to set it up right un! You can't just jump in like that," Deidara scoffs, astounded that his husband would jump that far ahead without giving the back story.

"Then you tell it Dei. You're better at these things than I am anyways," Sasori says, nodding to the couch for Deidara to come over.

Deidara sits next to his husband and Mio jumps up on their laps, snuggling herself between them. She stares up at the both of them, listening intently as Deidara describes the story of how their love unfolded. As Deidara goes through the details, he feels his heart yearn and pulse maddeningly for the man seated beside him. They've known each other for nearly 15 years now, but not a single day has gone by where Deidara hasn't felt an intense and passionate love for Sasori.

Sasori listens to Deidara's story eagerly – it's his favorite story of all time. He places an arm around his perfect blonde, and kisses his cheek every so often as Deidara gets to the good parts. He's so incredibly in love with Deidara, that he sometimes wonders how his heart could ever have been shut off and cold from the world. Deidara has shown him a new light, a new way of life, since the minute he met him.

The two share a knowing look as they continue to tell their tale to their daughter. Mio listens with shining eyes, gasping and sighing at various points in the story.

"Wow," she breathes as Deidara finishes, "it sounds like a fairy tale."

Deidara laughs, "Yeah, it sure does."

"But it was real," Sasori says, "and your father and I still love each other just as much as we did back then."

"More," Deidara chimes in, "I love you more each passing day." He looks at Sasori adoringly, and Sasori shares his look of affection.

"You're right Dei. I love you more and more each passing minute," Sasori says, his chest warm.

Mio gives each dad a hug and thanks them for the story before running off to play with the neighborhood kids, leaving the lovebirds alone. Sasori wraps his arms around his husband and kisses him passionately, feeling romantic after hearing the re-telling of their story.

For the love of Sasori and Deidara, there is no ending. The two will continue to love each other, even after they've passed. As far as Sasori is concerned, this is only the beginning of their tale.


End file.
